This year's ass kicking is coming to a close - but I could not bring myself to allow that to happen without at least having something on the horizon.
So this morning I registered for the Sudbury Spring Sprint triathlon. It takes place on May 10, 2009 - so I should be plenty recovered from surgery by then, and hopefully a couple months into jogging, biking and swim training. Right now I could do a sprint tri any day of the week - I may not be fast, but I could complete it. So I've been figuring that a sprint tri in the spring of 2009 would be a good way to get back into the swing of things after the upcoming downtime.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
11 Miles - 12/6
One last longer run before surgery this coming Thursday. I'm hopeful that after about 3-4 weeks, I'll be able to resume runs in the 5 mile range, and after 2 months, I'll be able to get back into the 10 mile range. I want to hit the month of March being pretty much ready to go for full marathon training.
Today's run was quite a bit different than my typical long runs, as I had someone else to run with. I had recently been emailing with an old coworkers husband who has gotten back into running himself over the past few years. Although his pace is considerably faster than mine (he did a half marathon in the fall in less than 90 minutes), we both typically run solo. As a potential way to break that monotony once in a while, we decided to get a long run in before my surgery, with the possibility that next year, we might be able to meet up a couple times a month - depending on our respective training schedules and paces.
So we started off at about 7 am. I debated whether to bring water with me or not - but it was cold enough that I didn't anticipate I'd lose much water to sweat. Instead, I just made sure I got myself plenty hydrated beforehand (but not too hydrated that I'd have to take a bio break).
Total Time: 1:40
Total Distance: 10.85 miles
Avg HR: 168
So there are a couple interesting data points for this run. First - the pace was just over 9 min/miles. Normally I make these long runs on the slower side, but I feel like once in a while it is good to push things a little bit - and having a running partner certainly makes that easier.
Second - the HR of 168 is a bit high for the pace. By contrast, the half marathon in October was run with an avg HR of 150, and the pace was about 8:45 min/mile. Of course, I've lost some conditioning since then, but also a large factor in the higher HR was act of casual conversation during the run. I've never really had a datapoint for how much my HR would rise when engaged in conversation - but now I have an idea - about 10-15 bpm.
Today's run was quite a bit different than my typical long runs, as I had someone else to run with. I had recently been emailing with an old coworkers husband who has gotten back into running himself over the past few years. Although his pace is considerably faster than mine (he did a half marathon in the fall in less than 90 minutes), we both typically run solo. As a potential way to break that monotony once in a while, we decided to get a long run in before my surgery, with the possibility that next year, we might be able to meet up a couple times a month - depending on our respective training schedules and paces.
So we started off at about 7 am. I debated whether to bring water with me or not - but it was cold enough that I didn't anticipate I'd lose much water to sweat. Instead, I just made sure I got myself plenty hydrated beforehand (but not too hydrated that I'd have to take a bio break).
Total Time: 1:40
Total Distance: 10.85 miles
Avg HR: 168
So there are a couple interesting data points for this run. First - the pace was just over 9 min/miles. Normally I make these long runs on the slower side, but I feel like once in a while it is good to push things a little bit - and having a running partner certainly makes that easier.
Second - the HR of 168 is a bit high for the pace. By contrast, the half marathon in October was run with an avg HR of 150, and the pace was about 8:45 min/mile. Of course, I've lost some conditioning since then, but also a large factor in the higher HR was act of casual conversation during the run. I've never really had a datapoint for how much my HR would rise when engaged in conversation - but now I have an idea - about 10-15 bpm.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
10 miles - 11/30
It has been a couple weeks since my last long run. With this weekend and next being the only weekends before surgery, I definately wanted to get a longer run in before I am forced to be relatively idle for what will probably be a couple weeks. If I am lucky, I can do some short runs by the end of the year, and with some luck I can return to 5+ mile runs some time in January.
Today's run was broken into two parts. The first 1.8 miles or so, I brought the dog along - as he needed the exercise. The colder weather and shorter days have meant fewer trips to the park for him. However, he hasn't really been conditioned to run, so I couldn't bring him along for a long distance. Since I'm not in training mode right now, and for the rest of the winter, I am thinking I'll take advantage of that and get his endurance up a bit.
After the short 1.8 mile loop in the neighborhood, I took off on a there-and-back trip from the house to Trader Joe's on Rt 9. Its just about 4.5 miles away - which, combined with the 1.8 miles earlier, would easily put me in the 10 mile range.
Total Time: 1:47:15
Total Disance: 10.35 Miles
Avg HR: 150
Today's run was broken into two parts. The first 1.8 miles or so, I brought the dog along - as he needed the exercise. The colder weather and shorter days have meant fewer trips to the park for him. However, he hasn't really been conditioned to run, so I couldn't bring him along for a long distance. Since I'm not in training mode right now, and for the rest of the winter, I am thinking I'll take advantage of that and get his endurance up a bit.
After the short 1.8 mile loop in the neighborhood, I took off on a there-and-back trip from the house to Trader Joe's on Rt 9. Its just about 4.5 miles away - which, combined with the 1.8 miles earlier, would easily put me in the 10 mile range.
Total Time: 1:47:15
Total Disance: 10.35 Miles
Avg HR: 150
Thursday, November 27, 2008
6 Miles - 11/27
With the four days of vacation due to the Thanksgiving holiday - I decided I wanted to make good use of the daylight hours that I could do some exercise with. To start things off, I did my normal 6 mile loop on Thanksgiving morning, before we had to head out to visit people for the holiday.
It was a very quiet run. I started out around 8 AM, and there wasn't much traffic at all. I also didn't bring a water bottle with me. I debated bringing it only because it was a morning run, and in the morning I tend to be somewhat dehydrated. But I had about 30 minutes before setting out to get some gatorade into my system.
Total Time: 57:38
Total Distance: 6 miles
Avg HR: 159
I'm definately noticing some drop off in speed and conditioning. With only running once or twice a week, I would expect this to happen. However, my only goal for the winter season is to maintain distance capability. With only training for 2 months, I can't expect to have a good solid performance base that will stay maintained. As long as I can go into spring being able to run a distance of 13 miles in one shot, I'll be satisfied. It takes a long time to build up distance endurance with the ligaments, cartilege and tendons. So I just dont want to lose that.
It was a very quiet run. I started out around 8 AM, and there wasn't much traffic at all. I also didn't bring a water bottle with me. I debated bringing it only because it was a morning run, and in the morning I tend to be somewhat dehydrated. But I had about 30 minutes before setting out to get some gatorade into my system.
Total Time: 57:38
Total Distance: 6 miles
Avg HR: 159
I'm definately noticing some drop off in speed and conditioning. With only running once or twice a week, I would expect this to happen. However, my only goal for the winter season is to maintain distance capability. With only training for 2 months, I can't expect to have a good solid performance base that will stay maintained. As long as I can go into spring being able to run a distance of 13 miles in one shot, I'll be satisfied. It takes a long time to build up distance endurance with the ligaments, cartilege and tendons. So I just dont want to lose that.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
5 Miles - 11/22
It is getting cold out there!
Today I was once again afflicted with the 'There is only an hour of daylight left - I really wanted to do something like 10 miles, but I can't. Is it even worth going for something shorter?' thought process. However, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I realized that this thinking was stupid and counterproductive. I'm not training for a marathon yet, afterall!
So I set off on my normal 5 mile loop that I knew I'd be able to finish while it was still light out. The other problem I had to contend with was the cold. In the early-mid fall, temperatures cool off, but you can still be comfortable in running shorts and an athletic shirt (one that wicks away moisture). However, when it drops below about 45 degrees - something else is often needed.
For my birthday this year, Laurie had gotten me a pair of jogging pants to be used in the winter. I had generally resisted acquiring this type of apparel, because in the past, exercise clothes I used in the winter have been noisy and held in too much heat. However, this pair was different - it has multiple layers of soft breathable fabric.
Without a top to match, I had to improvise. I ended up taking a wicking shirt and using a sweat shirt over it. Yeah, the sweat shirt might absorb moisure, but at least the layer that would absorb moisture wouldn't be in direct contact with skin.
Then there was the issue of covering the ole' noggin. When I need a hat in the winter time, I use a rabbit-fur bomber hat. But that would be a bit too much. Fortunately Laurie had a lighter, construction orange hat that would do.
Other then the trial of finding an outfit for winter running - nothing too awful special about this run. After an 8:30 or so warm up mile (which is a bit fast for a warm up for me at this point - but it felt like warm up exertion), I ran the next two miles at about 8 minute miles. Three miles were finished in somewhere around 24:19 or so. At that point, I decided to slow down a bit - without following an actual training plan, and only trying to maintain during the winter - I need to find that careful balance of effort to keep myself motivated.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 45:17
Avg HR: 164
Today I was once again afflicted with the 'There is only an hour of daylight left - I really wanted to do something like 10 miles, but I can't. Is it even worth going for something shorter?' thought process. However, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I realized that this thinking was stupid and counterproductive. I'm not training for a marathon yet, afterall!
So I set off on my normal 5 mile loop that I knew I'd be able to finish while it was still light out. The other problem I had to contend with was the cold. In the early-mid fall, temperatures cool off, but you can still be comfortable in running shorts and an athletic shirt (one that wicks away moisture). However, when it drops below about 45 degrees - something else is often needed.
For my birthday this year, Laurie had gotten me a pair of jogging pants to be used in the winter. I had generally resisted acquiring this type of apparel, because in the past, exercise clothes I used in the winter have been noisy and held in too much heat. However, this pair was different - it has multiple layers of soft breathable fabric.
Without a top to match, I had to improvise. I ended up taking a wicking shirt and using a sweat shirt over it. Yeah, the sweat shirt might absorb moisure, but at least the layer that would absorb moisture wouldn't be in direct contact with skin.
Then there was the issue of covering the ole' noggin. When I need a hat in the winter time, I use a rabbit-fur bomber hat. But that would be a bit too much. Fortunately Laurie had a lighter, construction orange hat that would do.
Other then the trial of finding an outfit for winter running - nothing too awful special about this run. After an 8:30 or so warm up mile (which is a bit fast for a warm up for me at this point - but it felt like warm up exertion), I ran the next two miles at about 8 minute miles. Three miles were finished in somewhere around 24:19 or so. At that point, I decided to slow down a bit - without following an actual training plan, and only trying to maintain during the winter - I need to find that careful balance of effort to keep myself motivated.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 45:17
Avg HR: 164
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
45 Minutes on treadmill - 11/18
I normally dont like treadmills. They have bored me to death in the past in about 5 minutes.
As I'm travelling for work this week, and the hotel has a treadmill - I decided to give it a shot again. My thinking was that if I went at a pretty easy pace - around 150 bpm or so - and had the TV on, maybe it would work out.
It seems like it helped. Any time in the past I've used a treadmill, I had the incline relatively steep, or I had the speed way up. This ended up making things uncomfortable - and without passing scenary to distract me, it was counter productive. However, staying at a rate of 150 bpm, it was much easier to just keep going. I still think that treadmills are horribly calibrated for distance measuring, and are significantly less of a workout than running outside, but they are something. Whatever gets the heartrate up.
Total Time: 45:30
Avg HR: 147
As I'm travelling for work this week, and the hotel has a treadmill - I decided to give it a shot again. My thinking was that if I went at a pretty easy pace - around 150 bpm or so - and had the TV on, maybe it would work out.
It seems like it helped. Any time in the past I've used a treadmill, I had the incline relatively steep, or I had the speed way up. This ended up making things uncomfortable - and without passing scenary to distract me, it was counter productive. However, staying at a rate of 150 bpm, it was much easier to just keep going. I still think that treadmills are horribly calibrated for distance measuring, and are significantly less of a workout than running outside, but they are something. Whatever gets the heartrate up.
Total Time: 45:30
Avg HR: 147
40 Minutes on treadmill - 11/18
The thing about Minneapolis (where I'm travelling this week) in November is that it can be cold. And, in the area where I usually end up going (Eden Prairie) - all the hotels are right near major highways. So there isn't much of an area to go running outside.
So once again I stuck it out on a treadmill. Encouraged by yesterday's results of being able to sustain 45 minutes without wanting to shoot myself out of boredom, I decided I mine as well take advantage of the opportunity and at least do something.
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Avg HR: 143
So once again I stuck it out on a treadmill. Encouraged by yesterday's results of being able to sustain 45 minutes without wanting to shoot myself out of boredom, I decided I mine as well take advantage of the opportunity and at least do something.
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Avg HR: 143
Sunday, November 16, 2008
6 Miles - 11/16
Today I wanted to do another long run - maybe 15 miles or so. My thought has been that the more endurance I can build before surgery and recovery time over the winter, the better off I'll be in the spring.
The problem with that line of thinking became evident today. When looking at the list of things I needed to get done, it was going to be difficult to get a full 2 hour run in during daylight. I even thought 'well maybe this weekend going for a run just isn't going to work'. Then it occured how stupid I was being - I could get an hour run in - and I was of them mindset that unless I was doing a long run, there was no point. Maybe I couldn't get a long run in - but 6 miles is still a good distance.
So todays run just ended up being more of a tempo/fartlek run. After a couple miles at the 9 to 9:30 pace and a HR of about 155 - I sped up a bit to a HR of 160, with some random sections of 170. If I felt like charging up a hill, I would. If I felt like slowing down a bit, I would.
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Total Time: 53:30
Avg HR: 164
I'm also finding that my conditioning is falling off, without running nearly as often as I was during training. It's not surprising that this is happening - but it is a little surprising how quickly it is happening. Perhaps a large part is that I was only training for 2 months. Had I been running 3-5 times/week for something like 2 years, maybe the drop off wouldn't be quite as dramatic.
The problem with that line of thinking became evident today. When looking at the list of things I needed to get done, it was going to be difficult to get a full 2 hour run in during daylight. I even thought 'well maybe this weekend going for a run just isn't going to work'. Then it occured how stupid I was being - I could get an hour run in - and I was of them mindset that unless I was doing a long run, there was no point. Maybe I couldn't get a long run in - but 6 miles is still a good distance.
So todays run just ended up being more of a tempo/fartlek run. After a couple miles at the 9 to 9:30 pace and a HR of about 155 - I sped up a bit to a HR of 160, with some random sections of 170. If I felt like charging up a hill, I would. If I felt like slowing down a bit, I would.
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Total Time: 53:30
Avg HR: 164
I'm also finding that my conditioning is falling off, without running nearly as often as I was during training. It's not surprising that this is happening - but it is a little surprising how quickly it is happening. Perhaps a large part is that I was only training for 2 months. Had I been running 3-5 times/week for something like 2 years, maybe the drop off wouldn't be quite as dramatic.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Swimming - 11/13 and 11/15
Both Thursday and today I did some swimming in the endless pool again. On Thursday I tried to use my neighbors iPod waterproofing case and waterproof headphones, but they were the ear bud type that goes into the ear, and that style of headphone never stays in my ear all that well. I was hoping that the elastic strap of the goggles pulled around the middle of my ear might help, but not so much. I suppose a swim cap would be the next step for that.
However, for the few minutes I was able to get something out of the experiment, I think it holds good promise. H2Oaudio.com has a few waterproof products, and I'm currently thinking that the iPod shuffle headset, which keeps water out of the unit, and also has a neck strap for the headphones, is the best bet. At $80, its not terribly expensive, and the $50 cost for an iPod shuffle makes the whole solution about $130. Not too bad.
Anyhow - both sessions on Thursday and today were about 30 minutes. On Thursday I ended a bit short - I just didn't have the patience to finish out the 30 minutes for whatever reason.
Thursday 11/13
Total Time: 25:12
Avg HR: 151
Power Setting: 5 Min @ 50, rest @ 45
Saturday 11/15
Total Time: 30:33
Avg HR: 156
Power Setting: 45
Also - today I started playing around with breathing from my left side a bit. I normally always breath from my right side every time my right arm comes out of the water. However, it seems to me that it might be beneficial in the long run if I can alternate, and extend every breath by 50% of the mechanics motions of the stroke.
The trial periods were just to start sorting things out - only about 3-4 sessions about 1 minute in length before I felt myself running out of breath and needing to return to my comfort zone.
However, for the few minutes I was able to get something out of the experiment, I think it holds good promise. H2Oaudio.com has a few waterproof products, and I'm currently thinking that the iPod shuffle headset, which keeps water out of the unit, and also has a neck strap for the headphones, is the best bet. At $80, its not terribly expensive, and the $50 cost for an iPod shuffle makes the whole solution about $130. Not too bad.
Anyhow - both sessions on Thursday and today were about 30 minutes. On Thursday I ended a bit short - I just didn't have the patience to finish out the 30 minutes for whatever reason.
Thursday 11/13
Total Time: 25:12
Avg HR: 151
Power Setting: 5 Min @ 50, rest @ 45
Saturday 11/15
Total Time: 30:33
Avg HR: 156
Power Setting: 45
Also - today I started playing around with breathing from my left side a bit. I normally always breath from my right side every time my right arm comes out of the water. However, it seems to me that it might be beneficial in the long run if I can alternate, and extend every breath by 50% of the mechanics motions of the stroke.
The trial periods were just to start sorting things out - only about 3-4 sessions about 1 minute in length before I felt myself running out of breath and needing to return to my comfort zone.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
36 Mile bike ride - 11/9
After the last bike ride a few weeks ago, I brought my bike into the shop for some service. I suspected the chain needed replacement, and the previous owner also suspected that the back set of gears (technically they are sprockets), commonly referred to as a freewheel or cassette, needed replacement also. I also suspected that the spokes needed some adjustment/tightening - so when I brought it in, I had them give it a quick once over. It is an old bike with over 10,000 miles on it, it had sat in a basement for a long time - so it just needed a general tune up.
In addition to the above, they also found that the bearing in the headset (the steering column) was worn loose, and the brakes needed replacement as the rubber had gotten old and brittle like an old eraser. So they recommended a service they call the ride-ready service - where they basically take what is on the bike (plus any replacements such as the chain and cassette mentioned above) and tune it to perform at its best.
So yesterday was the first time I had really gotten a chance to give it a whirl - and WOW what a difference! Everything is just smoother and quieter now - the front derailleur is adjusted properly so the chain doesn't slip off the gear, the gear shift levers themselves are easier to move, the wheels dont pulsate when the brakes are applied, and the loose headset bearing doesn't make a thunk sound when I go over a bump.
So I set off wanting to go a decent distance, but due to the almost 14 miles I ran the previous day, I didn't want to overextend myself. I figured somewhere around the 40 mile mark would be good.
Total Distance: 36 Miles
Total Time: 2:26:50
Avg HR: 141
I've gotten pretty good at initial pacing with running, but I still tend to start out a bit fast when biking - so I intentionally kept things relatively easy. Plus, the wind was pretty stiff - the first third of the ride I had a pretty constant headwind the entire time that really slowed things down. It was the same headwind my friend and I had on our ride a couple weeks ago - out of the southwest. Must be a seasonal thing.
In addition to the above, they also found that the bearing in the headset (the steering column) was worn loose, and the brakes needed replacement as the rubber had gotten old and brittle like an old eraser. So they recommended a service they call the ride-ready service - where they basically take what is on the bike (plus any replacements such as the chain and cassette mentioned above) and tune it to perform at its best.
So yesterday was the first time I had really gotten a chance to give it a whirl - and WOW what a difference! Everything is just smoother and quieter now - the front derailleur is adjusted properly so the chain doesn't slip off the gear, the gear shift levers themselves are easier to move, the wheels dont pulsate when the brakes are applied, and the loose headset bearing doesn't make a thunk sound when I go over a bump.
So I set off wanting to go a decent distance, but due to the almost 14 miles I ran the previous day, I didn't want to overextend myself. I figured somewhere around the 40 mile mark would be good.
Total Distance: 36 Miles
Total Time: 2:26:50
Avg HR: 141
I've gotten pretty good at initial pacing with running, but I still tend to start out a bit fast when biking - so I intentionally kept things relatively easy. Plus, the wind was pretty stiff - the first third of the ride I had a pretty constant headwind the entire time that really slowed things down. It was the same headwind my friend and I had on our ride a couple weeks ago - out of the southwest. Must be a seasonal thing.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
13.75 miles - 11/8
Today I was finally able to get a long run in. I decided to do it today when the weather was a little more overcast and wet, because tomorrow is supposed to be drier, and more conducive to a bicycle ride.
This was the first long run since the half marathon in October. After taking the following week off completely, and not running more then a few times since then, it is not surprising that some conditioning was lost. However, I figure that with surgery coming up, I'm going to lose conditioning over the winter anyway - so I'm not fretting about it too much. However, I'd like to do what I can do to at least maintain up until the surgery actually occurs. It seems to me that if I concentrate primarily on the long run conditioning, as opposed to the speed work - that I'll be better off in the long run. Speed work conditioning, in my opinion, has a higher rate of loss when inactive.
Today I also started to play around more with the heart rate limit functions in my heart rate monitor. Up until this point, I've basically used it as a feedback tool. However, it is possible to program in heartrate limits, and it'll beep when you go outside of those limits. I thought it might be a good way to keep myself within the appropriate target range.
Unfortunately, I found that it was more trouble then it was worth. I had a range from 145 to 155 bpm set, and perhaps it would have been more effective on a completely flat course. Even though my route didn't have much for hills - there was enough so that it was beeping more often than not. I eventually turned off the audible beep because it was more of a distraction then a helpful tool. Perhaps at some point in the future I'll look at it again - but for right now, it just wasn't working for me.
Total Time: 2:30:32
Total Distance: 13.75 Miles
Avg HR: 158
This was, by far, the longest run I've gone on time-wise. They say not to increase more than 10% per week - and I think the primary reason for this is to allow your body time to build up to withstand the pounding that running puts on it. However, it seems to me that the 10% rule pertains to distance, not time - and it occured to me that there seems to be a glaring hole in the logic there.
The reason is this - if you slow down, your feet end up striking the ground more times for a given distance. So even though the overall distance may be the same for a slow run vs a fast run, you may put more stress on your body with the slower run simply because you impact the ground that much more often. So from this perspective, it would seem that the 10% increase would pertain to time, not distance.
Of course, if you run at the same pace during every run - then it all comes out in the wash.
This was the first long run since the half marathon in October. After taking the following week off completely, and not running more then a few times since then, it is not surprising that some conditioning was lost. However, I figure that with surgery coming up, I'm going to lose conditioning over the winter anyway - so I'm not fretting about it too much. However, I'd like to do what I can do to at least maintain up until the surgery actually occurs. It seems to me that if I concentrate primarily on the long run conditioning, as opposed to the speed work - that I'll be better off in the long run. Speed work conditioning, in my opinion, has a higher rate of loss when inactive.
Today I also started to play around more with the heart rate limit functions in my heart rate monitor. Up until this point, I've basically used it as a feedback tool. However, it is possible to program in heartrate limits, and it'll beep when you go outside of those limits. I thought it might be a good way to keep myself within the appropriate target range.
Unfortunately, I found that it was more trouble then it was worth. I had a range from 145 to 155 bpm set, and perhaps it would have been more effective on a completely flat course. Even though my route didn't have much for hills - there was enough so that it was beeping more often than not. I eventually turned off the audible beep because it was more of a distraction then a helpful tool. Perhaps at some point in the future I'll look at it again - but for right now, it just wasn't working for me.
Total Time: 2:30:32
Total Distance: 13.75 Miles
Avg HR: 158
This was, by far, the longest run I've gone on time-wise. They say not to increase more than 10% per week - and I think the primary reason for this is to allow your body time to build up to withstand the pounding that running puts on it. However, it seems to me that the 10% rule pertains to distance, not time - and it occured to me that there seems to be a glaring hole in the logic there.
The reason is this - if you slow down, your feet end up striking the ground more times for a given distance. So even though the overall distance may be the same for a slow run vs a fast run, you may put more stress on your body with the slower run simply because you impact the ground that much more often. So from this perspective, it would seem that the 10% increase would pertain to time, not distance.
Of course, if you run at the same pace during every run - then it all comes out in the wash.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
7.5 miles - 11/4
After not being able to do a long run this past weekend, I have been getting itchy to get a good run in. I've only run a couple times since the race, and I want to at least maintain my distance endurance over the winter. With the impending surgery coming, I have relatively few opportunities. Also, ever since the time change, there is really no way to get a good distance run in during the week while it is daylight out.
This coming weekend though, I should be able to get a long run in. However, that doesn't help satisfy the current itch. So tonight, since it was also relatively warm out, I decided to suck it up and go for a medium length run. I didn't want to go too far a distance, but I wanted to go more than 5 miles.
Total Distance: 7.5 miles
Total Time: 1:16:26
Avg HR: 153
This coming weekend though, I should be able to get a long run in. However, that doesn't help satisfy the current itch. So tonight, since it was also relatively warm out, I decided to suck it up and go for a medium length run. I didn't want to go too far a distance, but I wanted to go more than 5 miles.
Total Distance: 7.5 miles
Total Time: 1:16:26
Avg HR: 153
Sunday, November 2, 2008
27 Minute Swim - 11/2
I really wanted to go for a long run this past weekend, but I needed to get some car repair work done, and it was the kind of thing that once started, it had to be finished.
So I was somewhat upset at the sequence of events, but for the sake of doing something, I did some time in the endless pool.
Previously, I had been setting the power to 40, and I've found that after a couple minutes, the power always seems to go down by about 5 - so I'd end with the power set to 35. This time I tried things out by bringing the power up to 50. It settled down to 45 before too long, but the counter current was significantly faster. I used this opportunity to start working on my form, trying to find ways to make it more efficient.
Lap 1: 4:47 avg HR 128 power setting 35
Lap 2: 17:19 avg HR 157 power setting 45
Lap 3: 1:30 rest
Lap 4: 4:48 avg HR 126 power setting 45
So I was somewhat upset at the sequence of events, but for the sake of doing something, I did some time in the endless pool.
Previously, I had been setting the power to 40, and I've found that after a couple minutes, the power always seems to go down by about 5 - so I'd end with the power set to 35. This time I tried things out by bringing the power up to 50. It settled down to 45 before too long, but the counter current was significantly faster. I used this opportunity to start working on my form, trying to find ways to make it more efficient.
Lap 1: 4:47 avg HR 128 power setting 35
Lap 2: 17:19 avg HR 157 power setting 45
Lap 3: 1:30 rest
Lap 4: 4:48 avg HR 126 power setting 45
Friday, October 31, 2008
Acceleration gliders and a magic mile - 5 Miles - 10/31
Acceleration gliders and magic miles are two other concepts in the Galloway training program. The idea behind acceleration gliders is that you go through periods where, instead of stopping abruptly, you use your existing momentum to carry you along as a faster pace then just walking, but with little extra effort. One of the supposed benefits of this drill, if I understand it correctly, is to learn how to maximize existing momentum to conserve energy. I think it does this partially by training your body mechanics to step as lightly, and with as little wasted energy as possible. For example, running with too large a stride results in a pretty major heel impact, which is essentially like putting on the brakes. Over the course of a mile where that foot may be striking the ground 1000 times, the wasted energy adds up.
Magic miles are not a drill, per-se, but apparently a predictive tool for performance. Essentially all it is is a mile run where you go as fast as possible, and by the time the mile is up, you feel like you couldn't go more then another 100 yds at that pace. Once you have some numbers for these magic miles, you can get some predictive idea of performance for various races.
Leg 1: 8:38 (1 mile warmup)
Leg 2: 9:04 (1 mile with 3 acceleration gliders) Avg HR 152
Leg 3: 7:01 (Magic Mile) Avg HR 179
Leg 4: 4:34 (recovery walk)
Leg 5: 21:31 (slow jog to finish)
The magic mile prediction is as follows (from www.jeffgalloway.com):
add 33 seconds for your pace for a 5K
multiply by 1.15 for 10K pace
multiply by 1.2 for half marathon pace
multiply by 1.3 for marathon pace
So - with my magic mile time of 7 minutes, I could theoretically run a 5k race at a pace of 7:33 min/mile. My half marathon pace would be at about 8:24 min/mile for a finishing time of about 1:50:02. Based on my performance the other week in the half marathon, I can see being able to drop about 4-5 minutes at my current level of conditioning.
Magic miles are not a drill, per-se, but apparently a predictive tool for performance. Essentially all it is is a mile run where you go as fast as possible, and by the time the mile is up, you feel like you couldn't go more then another 100 yds at that pace. Once you have some numbers for these magic miles, you can get some predictive idea of performance for various races.
Leg 1: 8:38 (1 mile warmup)
Leg 2: 9:04 (1 mile with 3 acceleration gliders) Avg HR 152
Leg 3: 7:01 (Magic Mile) Avg HR 179
Leg 4: 4:34 (recovery walk)
Leg 5: 21:31 (slow jog to finish)
The magic mile prediction is as follows (from www.jeffgalloway.com):
add 33 seconds for your pace for a 5K
multiply by 1.15 for 10K pace
multiply by 1.2 for half marathon pace
multiply by 1.3 for marathon pace
So - with my magic mile time of 7 minutes, I could theoretically run a 5k race at a pace of 7:33 min/mile. My half marathon pace would be at about 8:24 min/mile for a finishing time of about 1:50:02. Based on my performance the other week in the half marathon, I can see being able to drop about 4-5 minutes at my current level of conditioning.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
4 x 400 hill work - 10/29
As I mentioned in an earlier post, next year I plan on following the Galloway training program. There are a good number of aspects to it (the long run, cadence drills, form work, hills, etc) - so I've been thinking that I can take the next month or so and start integrating some of these aspects into my weekly workouts without having the stress of trying to figure out and process a lot of new things all at once.
So today was the initial trial of the hill workouts. According to the program, hill workouts are great for building leg strength, especially the calfs. The idea is that with stronger calf muscles, the ankle becomes a more efficient lever which can provide some propulsion as the toes leave the ground. The initial hill workouts are on a 5-7% grade, about 400-600 yds in length. You run up the hill at about 75%, so that you are well into the aerobic zone, but not in the anaerobic. After you reach the top, you walk down as a rest, and repeat X number of times. Fortunately, near my house is just such a hill - about 1/4 mile from bottom to top, with a minor but not insignificant incline.
Since it was my first time doing them, I figured 4 would be a good place to start. To warm things up (its getting cold out there!) I ran a mile as a warm up.
Lap 1: 2:11
Lap 2: 2:05
Lap 3: 2:06
Lap 4: 2:11
In each case, the average HR was about 158 and the ending HR was about 178. Oops - that put me in the anaerobic zone for a brief period of time, so next time I'll have to pay more attention to keep the rate a little lower. In my defense, it was dark out and I couldn't see my HR monitor that well :)
So today was the initial trial of the hill workouts. According to the program, hill workouts are great for building leg strength, especially the calfs. The idea is that with stronger calf muscles, the ankle becomes a more efficient lever which can provide some propulsion as the toes leave the ground. The initial hill workouts are on a 5-7% grade, about 400-600 yds in length. You run up the hill at about 75%, so that you are well into the aerobic zone, but not in the anaerobic. After you reach the top, you walk down as a rest, and repeat X number of times. Fortunately, near my house is just such a hill - about 1/4 mile from bottom to top, with a minor but not insignificant incline.
Since it was my first time doing them, I figured 4 would be a good place to start. To warm things up (its getting cold out there!) I ran a mile as a warm up.
Lap 1: 2:11
Lap 2: 2:05
Lap 3: 2:06
Lap 4: 2:11
In each case, the average HR was about 158 and the ending HR was about 178. Oops - that put me in the anaerobic zone for a brief period of time, so next time I'll have to pay more attention to keep the rate a little lower. In my defense, it was dark out and I couldn't see my HR monitor that well :)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
32 minutes swim - 10/28
Nothing much special about todays workout - just swimming, and upped the power level slightly for a better workout!
Total time: 32 minutes (incl 2 min warmup)
Power level: 35 for warm up, 47 for workout
Total time: 32 minutes (incl 2 min warmup)
Power level: 35 for warm up, 47 for workout
Sunday, October 26, 2008
6 Miles - 10/26
Last week I took the entire week off from running. As I was travelling for work, had no real training to keep up with, and was planning on at least 2 days rest anyway, it was just easier to give myself the week off.
So today was the first run since the race. I didn't want to do a long run, as I'm in the process of transitioning to a program where the long runs are once every 3 weeks, with a shorter run and mile repeat speed workouts on the other weekend. My legs were still a bit drained from yesterday's long bike ride, so I initially figured on going at a slow pace for the 6 miles, but it just didn't turn out that way. I'm not really sure why - perhaps because if I went too slow, I felt like it would start getting dark.
Whatever the reason, it turned out to be a tempo run, with a fairly consistent HR of 160.
Total Time: 51:46
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Avg HR: 159
So today was the first run since the race. I didn't want to do a long run, as I'm in the process of transitioning to a program where the long runs are once every 3 weeks, with a shorter run and mile repeat speed workouts on the other weekend. My legs were still a bit drained from yesterday's long bike ride, so I initially figured on going at a slow pace for the 6 miles, but it just didn't turn out that way. I'm not really sure why - perhaps because if I went too slow, I felt like it would start getting dark.
Whatever the reason, it turned out to be a tempo run, with a fairly consistent HR of 160.
Total Time: 51:46
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Avg HR: 159
Saturday, October 25, 2008
60 mile bike ride - 10/25
With winter and the subsequently crappy cycling conditions rapidly approaching, my friend Dave and I got together for one last long bike ride. While I'll probably go on some additional rides over the next few weeks in the 40-50 mile range, the opportunities to go for a ride with someone else can be relatively few and far between.
We decided to go on a route that took us south of the house, and actually ended up going about 2/3 of the way to where he lives in CT. The thought was that it might be a good way to scope out a meeting point in the future where we could both bike to, and then ride together for a bit before each of us turn back towards home.
It was the longest ride I've been on to date, at 60 miles. As it turns out, 60 miles was probably a good stopping point, as my right hamstright was feeling pretty sore once we reached the 55 mile mark or so. It was also the first time where the ride got slightly derailed due to a flat. Dave's back tire hit something, and it required a road side change. After attempts to inflate the new tube with the pump failed (either it was not putting any air into the tire, or it was putting it in very slowly), we went with CO2 cartridges that I keep with my bike for just such an occasion. Although a little on the expensive side (ranging from $1.50 to $3 a piece, depending on brand and location of purchase), they inflate the tire to 100 psi almost instantly. They definately proved their worth.
Total time: 3:55:32 (from cyclometer - which records only the time of tire rotation)
Total distance: 60.9 miles
Avg HR: 149
We decided to go on a route that took us south of the house, and actually ended up going about 2/3 of the way to where he lives in CT. The thought was that it might be a good way to scope out a meeting point in the future where we could both bike to, and then ride together for a bit before each of us turn back towards home.
It was the longest ride I've been on to date, at 60 miles. As it turns out, 60 miles was probably a good stopping point, as my right hamstright was feeling pretty sore once we reached the 55 mile mark or so. It was also the first time where the ride got slightly derailed due to a flat. Dave's back tire hit something, and it required a road side change. After attempts to inflate the new tube with the pump failed (either it was not putting any air into the tire, or it was putting it in very slowly), we went with CO2 cartridges that I keep with my bike for just such an occasion. Although a little on the expensive side (ranging from $1.50 to $3 a piece, depending on brand and location of purchase), they inflate the tire to 100 psi almost instantly. They definately proved their worth.
Total time: 3:55:32 (from cyclometer - which records only the time of tire rotation)
Total distance: 60.9 miles
Avg HR: 149
Monday, October 20, 2008
Post race reflections - 10/20
Still running a bit of an accomplishment mental-high and having a day to digest things, I wanted to put down some thoughts and reflections I have.
The Very Beginning
Way back in jr high, we had an event in PE that was the mile run/walk. It was pretty simple - four cones were placed in a field making a square track 1/4 mile long, and we had to go around it four times. We could run, walk, or some combination thereof. I dont remember specifics, but I know that I ran some of it, and walked a good portion as well. The class after PE was band practice, and I remember having to excuse myself from class because I was so light headed and felt like I was going to faint. Afterwards, the band teacher said I looked as white as a ghost.
The Cross Country Years
That was in 8th grade, I believe. The next time I took up any sort of running was sophmore year in high school when I joined the cross country team. I remember shortly before practices started that my dad and I went out for a run around the fields at the high school. I ran maybe 1.5 or 2 miles that day, and suffered through a lot of it. How the hell was I going to survive a 3.1 mile race?
The first day of cross country practice, we did the 3.1 mile course. I had to walk the last 1/4 mile or so, and my legs were stiff and sore for a week afterwards. I've never been so sore in my life - I could barely walk down the stairs from the pain in my legs. If I walked around, I felt better, but after sitting down for more then about 10 seconds, the soreness came back.
As the season wore on, the endurance got better. I think my first race was somewhere around the 27 minute mark. Within a couple races, my time had dropped to around 24 minutes, and I remember one day in biology class that one of the varsity runners called me a machine, due to the improvements I had made. I'm convinced he was partially picking on me (varsity team members were routinely doing sub-19 minute races, and in some instances sub 17 minutes), but when questioned by someone else, the response was akin to 'dropping 3 minutes is huge!' He might have been ribbing me a little bit, but it felt pretty good.
Throughout two years in high school cross country, I clocked in under 20 minutes once - 19:41. Doing a 7:30 or 8 minute mile was a piece of cake by that time, but most of the runs were 3 to 6 miles or so.
The Dark Ages
By the time high school was over, I had stopped running. Throughout college and a few times during my 20's, I tried taking running up again. However, each time I over-exerted myself. I was holding myself up to standards years gone by, and was heavily disappointed when I couldn't even keep up 8 minute miles anymore. In my attempts to force things, I always ended up with shin splints or some other ailment that kept me from being able to run for the next week or two. Motivation was low.
The Renaissance
Then one day, I was conversing with an old coworker who swam competitively in college. He basically introduced me to the idea of using a heart rate monitor - saying 'If you go for speed - you will fail. You need to go for overall time and heartrate'. That was a turning point of sorts. I went out and got a heart rate monitor that day. Resolving to keep things slow, I ran 1.5 miles in 18 minutes before I was too tired to continue.
A lot of people dont like heart rate monitors - but it is safe to say that I wouldn't have kept up and re-attempted getting into running for the umpteenth time without one. Finally, I had something that could provide tangible feedback, and could allow me to concentrate on my gradual improvement instead of my overall performance. Performance and speed would come - but first I had to build endurance. That was a lesson that took a long time for me to learn.
The 21st Century
Fast forward about six years, and I still find the heart rate monitor an incredible tool. A coach can provide structure to a training program, motivation and pacing. A HR monitor instantly provides a pacing mechanism, and can also provide motivation in the form of seeing improvement over time (provided you log your exercise). It took a while to figure it all out - but at this point, all that is left to me is to provide the structure.
Lessons of Hydration
Prior to starting training for this half marathon, my longest run was 8 miles, and I suffered through the last 2 miles or so. When I signed up for the half marathon, I put all faith in a training program for giving me the structure and endurance to actually complete the race. It seems obvious now, but I had never drank any liquids during a run before, fearing that it would lead to cramps. How wrong I was.
My first long run of this training program really opened my eyes. In 1 hr and 12 minutes, I had lost 2.2 POUNDS of water. I was shocked. I now had a pretty damn good idea why I had routinely been suffering on any run longer then about 5 miles.
My next long run was significantly easier. I learned the lesson of keeping hydrated, and had begun bringing gatorade and/or water with me, sipping a mouthful every 4-5 minutes or so. The difference was immediately noticable - when I finished those subsequent long runs, my mouth was not as dry, and I did not need to down huge amounts of water when I got home.
Need for Speed
The compliment to the endurance building long runs is the speed work. There are two things that amaze me about speed work. One is that it is very intimidating at first - there are no two ways about it, it just plain sucks and is uncomfortable. It is very easy to say 'screw this - the long runs are more enjoyable'. The other amazing thing about speed work is that its benefits are almost immediately visible. In training for this race, I had done speed-work specific work outs all of 5 times - once per week. In one month, an entire 80 seconds per mile had been knocked off, and the HR stayed fairly consistent.
Altered Views
It amuses me how things have changed. Three to four months ago, a short run was three miles, a medium length run was four, and a long run was five. Now, anything under five is a short run. Ain't no thing - just go out and do it. Anything between six and ten is medium length - generally requiring water to be brought along, and maybe a stretch break somewhere in there for good measure. It really takes about eleven miles or so for me to consider a run to be long - definately requiring two bottles of fluid, and multiple stretch breaks - just to be safe. As I start training for the marathon next year, I'm sure those numbers will increase again - but it astonishes me that before, six miles was something to really plan my day around, and now the idea of an eight miler is met with 'oh, ok - only 8 miles? Let me just get my water and I'll be off'.
The Very Beginning
Way back in jr high, we had an event in PE that was the mile run/walk. It was pretty simple - four cones were placed in a field making a square track 1/4 mile long, and we had to go around it four times. We could run, walk, or some combination thereof. I dont remember specifics, but I know that I ran some of it, and walked a good portion as well. The class after PE was band practice, and I remember having to excuse myself from class because I was so light headed and felt like I was going to faint. Afterwards, the band teacher said I looked as white as a ghost.
The Cross Country Years
That was in 8th grade, I believe. The next time I took up any sort of running was sophmore year in high school when I joined the cross country team. I remember shortly before practices started that my dad and I went out for a run around the fields at the high school. I ran maybe 1.5 or 2 miles that day, and suffered through a lot of it. How the hell was I going to survive a 3.1 mile race?
The first day of cross country practice, we did the 3.1 mile course. I had to walk the last 1/4 mile or so, and my legs were stiff and sore for a week afterwards. I've never been so sore in my life - I could barely walk down the stairs from the pain in my legs. If I walked around, I felt better, but after sitting down for more then about 10 seconds, the soreness came back.
As the season wore on, the endurance got better. I think my first race was somewhere around the 27 minute mark. Within a couple races, my time had dropped to around 24 minutes, and I remember one day in biology class that one of the varsity runners called me a machine, due to the improvements I had made. I'm convinced he was partially picking on me (varsity team members were routinely doing sub-19 minute races, and in some instances sub 17 minutes), but when questioned by someone else, the response was akin to 'dropping 3 minutes is huge!' He might have been ribbing me a little bit, but it felt pretty good.
Throughout two years in high school cross country, I clocked in under 20 minutes once - 19:41. Doing a 7:30 or 8 minute mile was a piece of cake by that time, but most of the runs were 3 to 6 miles or so.
The Dark Ages
By the time high school was over, I had stopped running. Throughout college and a few times during my 20's, I tried taking running up again. However, each time I over-exerted myself. I was holding myself up to standards years gone by, and was heavily disappointed when I couldn't even keep up 8 minute miles anymore. In my attempts to force things, I always ended up with shin splints or some other ailment that kept me from being able to run for the next week or two. Motivation was low.
The Renaissance
Then one day, I was conversing with an old coworker who swam competitively in college. He basically introduced me to the idea of using a heart rate monitor - saying 'If you go for speed - you will fail. You need to go for overall time and heartrate'. That was a turning point of sorts. I went out and got a heart rate monitor that day. Resolving to keep things slow, I ran 1.5 miles in 18 minutes before I was too tired to continue.
A lot of people dont like heart rate monitors - but it is safe to say that I wouldn't have kept up and re-attempted getting into running for the umpteenth time without one. Finally, I had something that could provide tangible feedback, and could allow me to concentrate on my gradual improvement instead of my overall performance. Performance and speed would come - but first I had to build endurance. That was a lesson that took a long time for me to learn.
The 21st Century
Fast forward about six years, and I still find the heart rate monitor an incredible tool. A coach can provide structure to a training program, motivation and pacing. A HR monitor instantly provides a pacing mechanism, and can also provide motivation in the form of seeing improvement over time (provided you log your exercise). It took a while to figure it all out - but at this point, all that is left to me is to provide the structure.
Lessons of Hydration
Prior to starting training for this half marathon, my longest run was 8 miles, and I suffered through the last 2 miles or so. When I signed up for the half marathon, I put all faith in a training program for giving me the structure and endurance to actually complete the race. It seems obvious now, but I had never drank any liquids during a run before, fearing that it would lead to cramps. How wrong I was.
My first long run of this training program really opened my eyes. In 1 hr and 12 minutes, I had lost 2.2 POUNDS of water. I was shocked. I now had a pretty damn good idea why I had routinely been suffering on any run longer then about 5 miles.
My next long run was significantly easier. I learned the lesson of keeping hydrated, and had begun bringing gatorade and/or water with me, sipping a mouthful every 4-5 minutes or so. The difference was immediately noticable - when I finished those subsequent long runs, my mouth was not as dry, and I did not need to down huge amounts of water when I got home.
Need for Speed
The compliment to the endurance building long runs is the speed work. There are two things that amaze me about speed work. One is that it is very intimidating at first - there are no two ways about it, it just plain sucks and is uncomfortable. It is very easy to say 'screw this - the long runs are more enjoyable'. The other amazing thing about speed work is that its benefits are almost immediately visible. In training for this race, I had done speed-work specific work outs all of 5 times - once per week. In one month, an entire 80 seconds per mile had been knocked off, and the HR stayed fairly consistent.
Altered Views
It amuses me how things have changed. Three to four months ago, a short run was three miles, a medium length run was four, and a long run was five. Now, anything under five is a short run. Ain't no thing - just go out and do it. Anything between six and ten is medium length - generally requiring water to be brought along, and maybe a stretch break somewhere in there for good measure. It really takes about eleven miles or so for me to consider a run to be long - definately requiring two bottles of fluid, and multiple stretch breaks - just to be safe. As I start training for the marathon next year, I'm sure those numbers will increase again - but it astonishes me that before, six miles was something to really plan my day around, and now the idea of an eight miler is met with 'oh, ok - only 8 miles? Let me just get my water and I'll be off'.
Half Marathon - 10/19
Woohoo!
The official time for my half marathon was 1:55:14. My HR monitor clocked it at 1:54:25.
At first, the time differential confused me - I started my HR monitor when I crossed the start line, and I thought that since the race was chipped, it wouldn't start the clock until I passed the starting line. So I was confused as to why the official time was almost a minute longer then my actual run time.
When I started thinking about it though - I reasoned that the chip only records the time when you cross the finish line. Perhaps its not possible for the chip system to take into account everyone's personal start time. While it wouldn't be too difficult for it to take the official end time and substract the delay of getting to the start time - it just might not do that for whatever reason.
I felt like I ran a really good race regardless, though. It did take a minute or so to cross the start line - a thousand people starting a race is naturally going to result in some initial slowness. My dad and I crossed the 1 mile marker at about the 10:30 to 11 minute mark (based on my own stopwatch - so around 11:30 to 12 minutes official time). I had wanted to make sure I started off slow in order to give the muscles time to warm up before hitting my stride, so that I wouldn't accidentally over do it, so I was ok with that pace.
However, by the 3-4 mile mark, we started settling into 9 minute miles as the field of runners started to thin out a bit. That first portion of the race had the full marathoners and the half marathoners running together, but around the 3-4 mile mark, the two sets of runners split and the field thinned out a bit more. It was never completely thin, as the race course went through sections where it got narrower and wider, but by that time we were comfortably running at our goal pace. So I knew that as long as we kept that pace, I'd be able to make up the lost 45-60 seconds. At the 6 mile mark water station, I took about 45 seconds to give the quads a quick stretch, as I felt pretty certain that I'd be able to make up the lost time in the last half of the race.
Soon after that, between the 6-7 mile mark, we passed the official clock that read 1:01 to 1:02, and I was still feeling pretty strong. In fact, I said "we're halfway done already!" My dad then said 'the second half is longer'. While I knew what he was saying, I kept my 'yeah, but it'll be quicker' thought to myself :)
So we kept on trucking along, slowly gaining speed as the mile markers went by. Around the 8-9 mile mark, someone running just ahead of us said that we were 24 seconds faster then the official clock for a 2 hr pace (a 2 hr pace for a half marathon is about 9:10 min/mile). At that point, I knew I had the 2 hr goal in the bag - it was just a matter of by how much it would end up being. All the while, my HR was a comfortable 160 bpm - plus or minus 5-8 bpm depending on terrain grade.
At the 9 mile mark, my stopwatch had a time of 1:21, almost exactly. Right on the money - 9 miles at 9 min/mile is 81 minutes.
This was where I felt like the 5 mile run I did in 40 minutes the other week really paid off psychologically. I was still feeling strong after 9 miles, and with only 4 miles left to go, I knew based on that previous run that I could kick things up a notch and have the endurance to last until the end. Hell, it was only 4 miles.
Once we passed the 10 mile mark, I decided to go for it. I told my dad 'ok, I'm going to see what kind of damage I can do', he said 'ok, good luck!' and off I went.
I can't describe how awesome that last 3.1 miles was. I was passing people left and right. My HR was hitting the 165-170 range, and I was steadily passing dozens of people. My legs started feeling it a bit more, but I knew I could do it.
As we got towards the end, I thought we had made the last turn and I started an all out sprint. My HR went up to 170-175, and I was expecting the finish line in another 50-75 yards. That one turn turned into another, when it opened up into the park that was the end of the race, when I heard someone say 'all the way around to the other side!'
SON OF A BITCH! I THOUGHT I WAS DONE!
So there I was in the left field side of a baseball diamond, and the finish line was all the way around near first base. Ok then, I guess we gotta keep the sprint going around the warning track. The HR got up to 181 by the time I crossed the line, still passing people in that last few hundred yards.
I crossed the line, and looked at my time on my watch - 1:54:25.
I had done it - I completed the half marathon and blew away the 2 hour goal I had set out.
When they were handing out medals, the shiny reflective thing and water, you bet your ass I grabbed the medal first. I got plans for that medal.
Overall, I placed 390 out of a field of 1000 registered runners (results here). Within my age group (30-39), I placed 70 out of 140 - smack dab in the middle.
Not bad for a first go around - but I'm not done yet, and I got bigger plans. Next year, a sprint triathlon and a full marathon.
The official time for my half marathon was 1:55:14. My HR monitor clocked it at 1:54:25.
At first, the time differential confused me - I started my HR monitor when I crossed the start line, and I thought that since the race was chipped, it wouldn't start the clock until I passed the starting line. So I was confused as to why the official time was almost a minute longer then my actual run time.
When I started thinking about it though - I reasoned that the chip only records the time when you cross the finish line. Perhaps its not possible for the chip system to take into account everyone's personal start time. While it wouldn't be too difficult for it to take the official end time and substract the delay of getting to the start time - it just might not do that for whatever reason.
I felt like I ran a really good race regardless, though. It did take a minute or so to cross the start line - a thousand people starting a race is naturally going to result in some initial slowness. My dad and I crossed the 1 mile marker at about the 10:30 to 11 minute mark (based on my own stopwatch - so around 11:30 to 12 minutes official time). I had wanted to make sure I started off slow in order to give the muscles time to warm up before hitting my stride, so that I wouldn't accidentally over do it, so I was ok with that pace.
However, by the 3-4 mile mark, we started settling into 9 minute miles as the field of runners started to thin out a bit. That first portion of the race had the full marathoners and the half marathoners running together, but around the 3-4 mile mark, the two sets of runners split and the field thinned out a bit more. It was never completely thin, as the race course went through sections where it got narrower and wider, but by that time we were comfortably running at our goal pace. So I knew that as long as we kept that pace, I'd be able to make up the lost 45-60 seconds. At the 6 mile mark water station, I took about 45 seconds to give the quads a quick stretch, as I felt pretty certain that I'd be able to make up the lost time in the last half of the race.
Soon after that, between the 6-7 mile mark, we passed the official clock that read 1:01 to 1:02, and I was still feeling pretty strong. In fact, I said "we're halfway done already!" My dad then said 'the second half is longer'. While I knew what he was saying, I kept my 'yeah, but it'll be quicker' thought to myself :)
So we kept on trucking along, slowly gaining speed as the mile markers went by. Around the 8-9 mile mark, someone running just ahead of us said that we were 24 seconds faster then the official clock for a 2 hr pace (a 2 hr pace for a half marathon is about 9:10 min/mile). At that point, I knew I had the 2 hr goal in the bag - it was just a matter of by how much it would end up being. All the while, my HR was a comfortable 160 bpm - plus or minus 5-8 bpm depending on terrain grade.
At the 9 mile mark, my stopwatch had a time of 1:21, almost exactly. Right on the money - 9 miles at 9 min/mile is 81 minutes.
This was where I felt like the 5 mile run I did in 40 minutes the other week really paid off psychologically. I was still feeling strong after 9 miles, and with only 4 miles left to go, I knew based on that previous run that I could kick things up a notch and have the endurance to last until the end. Hell, it was only 4 miles.
Once we passed the 10 mile mark, I decided to go for it. I told my dad 'ok, I'm going to see what kind of damage I can do', he said 'ok, good luck!' and off I went.
I can't describe how awesome that last 3.1 miles was. I was passing people left and right. My HR was hitting the 165-170 range, and I was steadily passing dozens of people. My legs started feeling it a bit more, but I knew I could do it.
As we got towards the end, I thought we had made the last turn and I started an all out sprint. My HR went up to 170-175, and I was expecting the finish line in another 50-75 yards. That one turn turned into another, when it opened up into the park that was the end of the race, when I heard someone say 'all the way around to the other side!'
SON OF A BITCH! I THOUGHT I WAS DONE!
So there I was in the left field side of a baseball diamond, and the finish line was all the way around near first base. Ok then, I guess we gotta keep the sprint going around the warning track. The HR got up to 181 by the time I crossed the line, still passing people in that last few hundred yards.
I crossed the line, and looked at my time on my watch - 1:54:25.
I had done it - I completed the half marathon and blew away the 2 hour goal I had set out.
When they were handing out medals, the shiny reflective thing and water, you bet your ass I grabbed the medal first. I got plans for that medal.
Overall, I placed 390 out of a field of 1000 registered runners (results here). Within my age group (30-39), I placed 70 out of 140 - smack dab in the middle.
Not bad for a first go around - but I'm not done yet, and I got bigger plans. Next year, a sprint triathlon and a full marathon.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
30 minute swim - 10/18
Building off the excitement from the progress of swimming on 10/16, and restricted in the number of miles I should run right before the race tomorrow, I decided to do some more swimming again today.
I'm not really sure whether its a good idea to exert ones self more than necessary before a race (especially a cross training activity), but I decided to go for it anyway. On one hand, it is extra energy being expended right before a race - on the other hand, its a way to keep the heart tuned. So, who knows.
Regardless of what it does for my performance tomorrow, I finally kept swimming until the pool stopped. There is a 30 minute timer for the counter-current producing mechanism, and my first goal with the endless pool was to keep swimming until the pool shut itself off. It was not a goal because 30 minutes is a sign of great endurance or anything, but more that being able to go 30 minutes is a good sign that I found some way to keep my mind occupied while time passes.
It was also one of the only times I've been able to use the pool during daylight hours - which was really nice in itself.
Total Time: 30:05
Lap 1: 2:48 Power setting 35 (warm up)
Lap 2: 27:17 Avg HR 147 Power setting 40
I'm not really sure whether its a good idea to exert ones self more than necessary before a race (especially a cross training activity), but I decided to go for it anyway. On one hand, it is extra energy being expended right before a race - on the other hand, its a way to keep the heart tuned. So, who knows.
Regardless of what it does for my performance tomorrow, I finally kept swimming until the pool stopped. There is a 30 minute timer for the counter-current producing mechanism, and my first goal with the endless pool was to keep swimming until the pool shut itself off. It was not a goal because 30 minutes is a sign of great endurance or anything, but more that being able to go 30 minutes is a good sign that I found some way to keep my mind occupied while time passes.
It was also one of the only times I've been able to use the pool during daylight hours - which was really nice in itself.
Total Time: 30:05
Lap 1: 2:48 Power setting 35 (warm up)
Lap 2: 27:17 Avg HR 147 Power setting 40
3 miles - 10/18
Final run before the 1/2 marathon tomorrow.
Some people suggest not running at all the day before a race, some people find it beneficial. I'm not sure where I am with regard to that. Considering my only real run this week was on Wednesday (5 miles), I didn't want to take a 3rd day off. Given the option, I might have run the 3 miles (or maybe 4 or 5) yesterday - but my schedule did not permit it.
So it was a relatively quick and easy 3 miles. I shot for a HR of about 160, with the thought that I feel like I can sustain that for the 13.1 miles.
Total Time: 25:37
Total Distance: 3.04 miles
Avg HR: 159
Some people suggest not running at all the day before a race, some people find it beneficial. I'm not sure where I am with regard to that. Considering my only real run this week was on Wednesday (5 miles), I didn't want to take a 3rd day off. Given the option, I might have run the 3 miles (or maybe 4 or 5) yesterday - but my schedule did not permit it.
So it was a relatively quick and easy 3 miles. I shot for a HR of about 160, with the thought that I feel like I can sustain that for the 13.1 miles.
Total Time: 25:37
Total Distance: 3.04 miles
Avg HR: 159
Thursday, October 16, 2008
27 Minute swim - 10/16
It has been a month since my last swim - mostly because the training plan I've been following for the half marathon has had me running most days of the week. Until this week when I decided to taper off the running, I just had enough other stuff going on that swimming fell to the back burner.
During the day today, I got myself all charged up for it though. Some days you just spend the whole day itching to do something to kick your own ass. Since I'm restricting myself from running during this last week, that left swimming as my outlet.
The notable thing about today was that I feel like I'm starting to get used to swimming enough again that I am able to zone out. Whereas before, my maximum amount of time between breaks was about 5 minutes (more due to boredom rather than getting tired) - today I did a stretch for about 18 minutes. A large part of it was 'why take a break when I'm just going to be doing this again in another minute or so?'
Lap 1: 4:00 Avg HR 125 Power setting 50
Lap 2: 18:00 Avg HR 152 Power setting 35
Lap 3: 5:04 Avg HR 151 Power setting 40
Avg power setting (time based): 38
The power setting at 50 was a bit too much to start off, without being warmed up or anything. So I set it down to what the dial initially showed as 40, but ended up being 35. Apparently there is some time required for the current to settle down. So I brought it up to 40 after taking a 90 second break between lap 2 and lap 3.
They say that at top speed, the endless pool does the equivalent of 1 mile in just under 20 minutes. Before I closed up the pool for the evening, I turned it up as high as it would go, and found the power setting (whatever units it is) went to 90. So I'm thinking that the 27 minutes at a power setting of 38 is about 0.6 miles.
During the day today, I got myself all charged up for it though. Some days you just spend the whole day itching to do something to kick your own ass. Since I'm restricting myself from running during this last week, that left swimming as my outlet.
The notable thing about today was that I feel like I'm starting to get used to swimming enough again that I am able to zone out. Whereas before, my maximum amount of time between breaks was about 5 minutes (more due to boredom rather than getting tired) - today I did a stretch for about 18 minutes. A large part of it was 'why take a break when I'm just going to be doing this again in another minute or so?'
Lap 1: 4:00 Avg HR 125 Power setting 50
Lap 2: 18:00 Avg HR 152 Power setting 35
Lap 3: 5:04 Avg HR 151 Power setting 40
Avg power setting (time based): 38
The power setting at 50 was a bit too much to start off, without being warmed up or anything. So I set it down to what the dial initially showed as 40, but ended up being 35. Apparently there is some time required for the current to settle down. So I brought it up to 40 after taking a 90 second break between lap 2 and lap 3.
They say that at top speed, the endless pool does the equivalent of 1 mile in just under 20 minutes. Before I closed up the pool for the evening, I turned it up as high as it would go, and found the power setting (whatever units it is) went to 90. So I'm thinking that the 27 minutes at a power setting of 38 is about 0.6 miles.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
5 Miles - 10/15
I dont want to do too many miles in this last week, as I want to keep the pounding off my knees during this last week. So after two days of relative rest, I figured a 5 miler would be appropriate. I decided to run it at an elevated pace (not quite as strenuous as last weeks 5 miler), but to also include walking breaks - as I think I will be using that strategy during the race this weekend.
Also, as a new rule - any run I do over 5 miles has to include some stretching after a warm up period.
Leg 1: 8:10 avg HR 140 (warm up mile)
Leg 2: 7:48 avg HR 162 (2nd mile)
Leg 3: 1:30 end HR 137
Leg 4: 8:00 avg HR 170 (3rd mile)
Leg 5: 1:30 end HR 132
Leg 6: 7:58 avg HR 167 (4th mile)
Leg 7: 1:30 end HR 135
Leg 8: 8:37 avg HR 166 (5th mile)
Total time: 44:43
I consciously slowed down after the 3rd mile, as I didn't want to push too hard only days before the race.
Also, I noticed that my mechanics have changed a bit. When I first started running again a couple years ago, I found that my shin muscles were pretty weak, as I'd plant my heel down and the front of my foot would slap down. I knew that wasn't right, but eventually that got worked out as the shin muscles got stronger. However, what never changed was the fact that my heel always landed first. On hard surfaces like concrete, and especially when going downhill - I could really feel the shock reverberate through my legs. I'd try to change things around to soften the blow, but the heel always landed first.
For whatever reason, on todays run I suddently started landing less on my heel, and more on the mid-section of my foot. It was very strange because I didn't go out and consciously try to change things up. A quick search on running mechanics led me to this youtube video. Apparently the change is mechanics is a good thing! I thought the video made a good point - you walk so much during normal life that the mechanics of walking end up being your default mechanics during running.
Also, as a new rule - any run I do over 5 miles has to include some stretching after a warm up period.
Leg 1: 8:10 avg HR 140 (warm up mile)
Leg 2: 7:48 avg HR 162 (2nd mile)
Leg 3: 1:30 end HR 137
Leg 4: 8:00 avg HR 170 (3rd mile)
Leg 5: 1:30 end HR 132
Leg 6: 7:58 avg HR 167 (4th mile)
Leg 7: 1:30 end HR 135
Leg 8: 8:37 avg HR 166 (5th mile)
Total time: 44:43
I consciously slowed down after the 3rd mile, as I didn't want to push too hard only days before the race.
Also, I noticed that my mechanics have changed a bit. When I first started running again a couple years ago, I found that my shin muscles were pretty weak, as I'd plant my heel down and the front of my foot would slap down. I knew that wasn't right, but eventually that got worked out as the shin muscles got stronger. However, what never changed was the fact that my heel always landed first. On hard surfaces like concrete, and especially when going downhill - I could really feel the shock reverberate through my legs. I'd try to change things around to soften the blow, but the heel always landed first.
For whatever reason, on todays run I suddently started landing less on my heel, and more on the mid-section of my foot. It was very strange because I didn't go out and consciously try to change things up. A quick search on running mechanics led me to this youtube video. Apparently the change is mechanics is a good thing! I thought the video made a good point - you walk so much during normal life that the mechanics of walking end up being your default mechanics during running.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Water running - 10/14
The training plan has today being a 5 mile run. However, I feel like at this point, with less then a week before the race - the training has been done. There is little benefit, if any, to be gained by running an additional 21 miles (as the training plan calls for) this week before the race. Plus, with my right knee exhibiting signs of crepitus ever since the 12 miler the other week - I think a week of relative rest can only help prevent an injury.
At some point in the future, I'll go into more detail, but next year I plan on following the Galloway training schedule. In general, it is lower mileage then other training plans, and emphasises more of a run-walk-run strategy. This can actually improve times as well as prevent injury.
So today I wanted to try out something I had been reading about the past couple days - water running. The idea is basically that you get just as good a workout as jogging, but without the impact. Since it was my first time trying it, I just did about 20 minutes worth - mostly to see how the mechanics of it would work out. As you might expect, the lower body tended to want to move forward, so I had to brace myself against the side of the pool.
At some point in the future, I'll go into more detail, but next year I plan on following the Galloway training schedule. In general, it is lower mileage then other training plans, and emphasises more of a run-walk-run strategy. This can actually improve times as well as prevent injury.
So today I wanted to try out something I had been reading about the past couple days - water running. The idea is basically that you get just as good a workout as jogging, but without the impact. Since it was my first time trying it, I just did about 20 minutes worth - mostly to see how the mechanics of it would work out. As you might expect, the lower body tended to want to move forward, so I had to brace myself against the side of the pool.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
8 Miles - 10/12
One week to go until the half marathon. Today is normally the long run day, but with the taper in effect, it is scaled back a bit, at 8 miles.
In an attempt to get better about stretching, especially for these longer runs, I stopped after the first mile to stretch for about 4 minutes. They say you should not stretch cold muscles, as that is where a lot of stretching injuries occur - a better method is to warm them up for a bit and then stretch. In high school, we did this during cross country practices - run about 3/4 to 1 mile, and then stretch.
Also today was the 2nd day of using the new shoes. Somewhere around the 1.25 to 1.5 mile mark, the arch on my right foot started to ache a bit again, due to the extra support that the foot is not used to. However, I noticed around mile 2 that it was no longer a problem. I had planned on giving myself the out of returning home to switch to my old shoes, but it didn't appear to be necessary, so I kept going.
Total Time: 1:15:40
Total Distance: 7.8 Miles
Avg HR: 151
The distance ended up being a little on the short side. I ran my normal 5.25 mile loop, and added another loop that I thought was 3.4 miles. Turns out it was 3.1 - so in my attempt to gauge a good stopping point that would put me at 8 miles, I came up 2/10 of a mile short. No biggie.
Once again, though, I found that running in the morning ends up meaning a higher HR. Today I started drinking water when I woke up, to curb some of the dehydration that occurs overnight. I also had a clif bar and an omelette within about an hour of the run. Even with rehydrating and eating, the HR was up a bit. So I'm thinking that next week, for the actual race, I'll have to make sure to eat a couple-few hours before hand.
In an attempt to get better about stretching, especially for these longer runs, I stopped after the first mile to stretch for about 4 minutes. They say you should not stretch cold muscles, as that is where a lot of stretching injuries occur - a better method is to warm them up for a bit and then stretch. In high school, we did this during cross country practices - run about 3/4 to 1 mile, and then stretch.
Also today was the 2nd day of using the new shoes. Somewhere around the 1.25 to 1.5 mile mark, the arch on my right foot started to ache a bit again, due to the extra support that the foot is not used to. However, I noticed around mile 2 that it was no longer a problem. I had planned on giving myself the out of returning home to switch to my old shoes, but it didn't appear to be necessary, so I kept going.
Total Time: 1:15:40
Total Distance: 7.8 Miles
Avg HR: 151
The distance ended up being a little on the short side. I ran my normal 5.25 mile loop, and added another loop that I thought was 3.4 miles. Turns out it was 3.1 - so in my attempt to gauge a good stopping point that would put me at 8 miles, I came up 2/10 of a mile short. No biggie.
Once again, though, I found that running in the morning ends up meaning a higher HR. Today I started drinking water when I woke up, to curb some of the dehydration that occurs overnight. I also had a clif bar and an omelette within about an hour of the run. Even with rehydrating and eating, the HR was up a bit. So I'm thinking that next week, for the actual race, I'll have to make sure to eat a couple-few hours before hand.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
3 Miles - 10/11
I've always used Nike Air Pegasus running shoes (once tried Gel Nimbus shoes by Asics - with rather disappointing results), and I got my current pair back in April. They have been getting near to 300 miles, so my thinking was that I'd do this half marathon in them, and retire them. The past few weeks, I started wondering about the health of the shoes though. Figuring it's better to be safe then sorry, I went to Marathon Sports to get fitted for a new pair of shoes. What I found was a little surprising.
First of all, the Nike shoes I had were actually trail running shoes. Not cross trainers - but just designed for trail running. I got them at the Nike store at the Wrentham outlets, and since they were Air Pegasus and felt fine when I was trying them on, I figured I would be good to go. Long story short, the trail running shoes are not as long lived when running on asphalt, like I tend to do. So 300 miles on them is actually quite a bit.
Second, apparently my mechanics have changed over time slightly. I've been fitted for shoes before, and always been a very neutral runner. But this time, the person watching my mechanics noticed that my left ankle was collapsing ever so slightly. So he suggested a shoe that has a little bit more support on the inside heal area. Apparently things looks a little better on the test run, so I bought them.
So today's run, being 3 miles, was rather uneventful except for it was the first run in these shoes. The left foot feels perfectly fine. I've never had much of a problem with breaking in new shoes (they've always just kinda worked right away), but I noticed that my right foot seems a little over supported - at least compared to what I'm used to. Given that the left foot is ok, I'm not sure whether the issue with the right foot is a bad mechanics issue that will get fixed over time, or perhaps the shoe provides too much support. My concern is that if the shoe provides too much support, it might actually induce poor mechanics. Ultimately though, I have to give these shoes some miles to break in before a final verdict can be delivered.
Total Time: 29:00
Total Distance: 3.04 miles
Avg HR: 153
I'm blaming the slightly high HR on the fact that I had spent the hour beforehand mowing the lawn, and was a little dehydrated. Since it was only a 3 miler, and I was primarily interested in trying out the new shoes, I didn't see a driving reason to really make sure I rehydrated and refueled beforehand.
First of all, the Nike shoes I had were actually trail running shoes. Not cross trainers - but just designed for trail running. I got them at the Nike store at the Wrentham outlets, and since they were Air Pegasus and felt fine when I was trying them on, I figured I would be good to go. Long story short, the trail running shoes are not as long lived when running on asphalt, like I tend to do. So 300 miles on them is actually quite a bit.
Second, apparently my mechanics have changed over time slightly. I've been fitted for shoes before, and always been a very neutral runner. But this time, the person watching my mechanics noticed that my left ankle was collapsing ever so slightly. So he suggested a shoe that has a little bit more support on the inside heal area. Apparently things looks a little better on the test run, so I bought them.
So today's run, being 3 miles, was rather uneventful except for it was the first run in these shoes. The left foot feels perfectly fine. I've never had much of a problem with breaking in new shoes (they've always just kinda worked right away), but I noticed that my right foot seems a little over supported - at least compared to what I'm used to. Given that the left foot is ok, I'm not sure whether the issue with the right foot is a bad mechanics issue that will get fixed over time, or perhaps the shoe provides too much support. My concern is that if the shoe provides too much support, it might actually induce poor mechanics. Ultimately though, I have to give these shoes some miles to break in before a final verdict can be delivered.
Total Time: 29:00
Total Distance: 3.04 miles
Avg HR: 153
I'm blaming the slightly high HR on the fact that I had spent the hour beforehand mowing the lawn, and was a little dehydrated. Since it was only a 3 miler, and I was primarily interested in trying out the new shoes, I didn't see a driving reason to really make sure I rehydrated and refueled beforehand.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
8 Miles - 10/9
After Tuesday's fairly intense run, I skipped yesterdays scheduled 5 miler and took a rest day.
So todays run was 8 miles. Nothing special - just a slow and easy 8 miles. But I AM getting tired of running in the dark. I wear a very loud and obnoxious yellow safety shirt when I run at night, and I bring a LED flashlight with me as well. It allows me to see where I'm putting my foot on the ground, but the oncoming headlights are sometimes angled just right that I can't see anything for a few seconds. Very annoying.
Total Time: 1:23:58
Total Distance: 8.3 miles
Avg HR: 151
So todays run was 8 miles. Nothing special - just a slow and easy 8 miles. But I AM getting tired of running in the dark. I wear a very loud and obnoxious yellow safety shirt when I run at night, and I bring a LED flashlight with me as well. It allows me to see where I'm putting my foot on the ground, but the oncoming headlights are sometimes angled just right that I can't see anything for a few seconds. Very annoying.
Total Time: 1:23:58
Total Distance: 8.3 miles
Avg HR: 151
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
5 Miles - 10/7 - ACHIEVED 2.5 YR OLD GOAL!
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea what was in store for me today, and had no real intention to do anything but my normally scheduled run.
If ever there is a testament as to the value and improvement potential of an actual training plan, it is this story.
When I started running again about 3 or so years ago, I told myself that I would consider myself in shape if I could run 5 miles in 40 minutes. So until about 2 months ago, that was my primary goal. I'd run 2-3 times per week, usually going anywhere from 3-5 miles, and occasionally going out for longer runs of 6-8 miles. I'd run at what I thought was a good, hardworking pace. But alas, after 2.5 yrs of running without any sort of a structured program, the best I was able to get was 8:30 min/mile - but more commonly the times were around 9:00 min/mile for a 5 mile run. Progress was very slow.
So now, today, after following a real program for a mere two months now, I was able to run a 5 mile course at a sub 8 min/mil pace. Granted, this two months required running 5 days a week, and a level of dedication that required that running be a very high priority in my list of life activities (pretty much behind sleep and work). I didn't really think about my five-miles-in-40-minutes goal over the past 2 months because I knew that in my grand scheme plan for training, I'd eventually reach it. It was just a question of when. I found out it was on October 7, 2008.
It was one of the more challenging runs, both mentally and physically, that I've done in a long time. My breathing, especially for the last half, was fairly heavy - definately not able to hold a conversation. In fact, I felt like the only oxygen left over for my brain was the minimum amount for situational awareness - everything else was going towards burning energy. My legs felt fairly drained the whole time - there were certainly portions where I slowed down a bit to recover from a small incline or something. For the most part, once I was warmed up and rolling, my HR was pretty consistently in the low 170's - which put me in the 85-90% HR training zone. There were definately parts where I felt like I really REALLY wanted to slow down - but what kept me going was that I didn't want to give up and quit when I had already put in 3, then 4, then 4.5 miles of hard running.
So, here we are:
Total Distance: 5.25
Total Time: 41:09
Average HR: 166
As challenging as it was, it was equally as rewarding. I discovered what it felt like to maintain that level of exertion for that length of time. I am also able to knock off the first goal I had in mind when I started running again in the first place. It took a long time, but I did it.
The only potential downside I can think of is that technically, I'm supposed to be on a taper. However, I'm hoping that because this was early in the taper, there will be plenty of time to recover. Also, I think there is something to be said for the psychological benefit, knowing that I can sustain the HR for an extended period of time. While the average HR was 166, I know it is skewed a little low due to the amount of time it takes to get the HR up.
Also, as an added point of information - the 166 HR puts me at the 85% training zone, which is supposedly about 10-20 sec/mile slower then a 10k pace. So I finally have a somewhat decent estimate of what my 10k pace is.
If ever there is a testament as to the value and improvement potential of an actual training plan, it is this story.
When I started running again about 3 or so years ago, I told myself that I would consider myself in shape if I could run 5 miles in 40 minutes. So until about 2 months ago, that was my primary goal. I'd run 2-3 times per week, usually going anywhere from 3-5 miles, and occasionally going out for longer runs of 6-8 miles. I'd run at what I thought was a good, hardworking pace. But alas, after 2.5 yrs of running without any sort of a structured program, the best I was able to get was 8:30 min/mile - but more commonly the times were around 9:00 min/mile for a 5 mile run. Progress was very slow.
So now, today, after following a real program for a mere two months now, I was able to run a 5 mile course at a sub 8 min/mil pace. Granted, this two months required running 5 days a week, and a level of dedication that required that running be a very high priority in my list of life activities (pretty much behind sleep and work). I didn't really think about my five-miles-in-40-minutes goal over the past 2 months because I knew that in my grand scheme plan for training, I'd eventually reach it. It was just a question of when. I found out it was on October 7, 2008.
It was one of the more challenging runs, both mentally and physically, that I've done in a long time. My breathing, especially for the last half, was fairly heavy - definately not able to hold a conversation. In fact, I felt like the only oxygen left over for my brain was the minimum amount for situational awareness - everything else was going towards burning energy. My legs felt fairly drained the whole time - there were certainly portions where I slowed down a bit to recover from a small incline or something. For the most part, once I was warmed up and rolling, my HR was pretty consistently in the low 170's - which put me in the 85-90% HR training zone. There were definately parts where I felt like I really REALLY wanted to slow down - but what kept me going was that I didn't want to give up and quit when I had already put in 3, then 4, then 4.5 miles of hard running.
So, here we are:
Total Distance: 5.25
Total Time: 41:09
Average HR: 166
As challenging as it was, it was equally as rewarding. I discovered what it felt like to maintain that level of exertion for that length of time. I am also able to knock off the first goal I had in mind when I started running again in the first place. It took a long time, but I did it.
The only potential downside I can think of is that technically, I'm supposed to be on a taper. However, I'm hoping that because this was early in the taper, there will be plenty of time to recover. Also, I think there is something to be said for the psychological benefit, knowing that I can sustain the HR for an extended period of time. While the average HR was 166, I know it is skewed a little low due to the amount of time it takes to get the HR up.
Also, as an added point of information - the 166 HR puts me at the 85% training zone, which is supposedly about 10-20 sec/mile slower then a 10k pace. So I finally have a somewhat decent estimate of what my 10k pace is.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
12 Miles - 10/5
Todays run was the longest of the training program at 12 miles. I've found that training programs that have a primary goal of simply finishing the race commonly have the race itself being the longest run. On the other hand, I've found that most training programs with a primary goal of a specific time in mind often have training runs longer than the race distance itself. At least, that is what I've found with the training programs for longer (10k and up) races. So I suppose the idea here is that if you can do 12 miles, you can tack on the extra 1.1 miles for the full half marathon distance of 13.1 miles.
Today was also the second day of using the truss, and with it being so close the to race distance, would be the best gauge of whether it would work out or not. I'm glad to report that it worked out perfectly - so I have no hesitation in continuing the training program and participating in the race at all.
To do the 12 miles, I did my 6 mile loop twice, and on the way by the house, I dropped off the used 24 oz bottle of gatorade and picked up a second one I already had prepared. I've really found that these longer runs are much much easier when I drink water along the way. Even a simple indicator such as how much moisture is in my mouth indicates that even after 2 hours of running, I'm still fairly well hydrated. Also, the gatorade provides 50 cal per 8 oz serving, so that ends up being about 300 calories ingested during the run, which is a fairly significant portion of the energy expended during the exercise.
Total Time: 2:03
Total Distance: 12.3 miles
Avg HR: 148
Overall, I felt pretty good. The first 6 miles were not a problem at all. Like the 10 miler a couple weeks ago, I felt things starting to tighten up around the hour and 20 minute mark, but all things considered, that is understandable. After the run, it felt nice to stretch the quads a bit and flex my knees. When I got home, I noticed that my knees were making some cracking sounds, and although they didn't hurt, I decided to ice them for a good 15-20 minutes. I haven't heard any cracking from them since - and I know that many times those sorts of things are not a major deal - especially if there is no pain associated with them.
Also, after todays run, the taper begins. Looking ahead at the training schedule, most of the runs are in the 3-5 mile range, with next weekends run being 8 miles. There is no more speedwork remaining either.
Today was also the second day of using the truss, and with it being so close the to race distance, would be the best gauge of whether it would work out or not. I'm glad to report that it worked out perfectly - so I have no hesitation in continuing the training program and participating in the race at all.
To do the 12 miles, I did my 6 mile loop twice, and on the way by the house, I dropped off the used 24 oz bottle of gatorade and picked up a second one I already had prepared. I've really found that these longer runs are much much easier when I drink water along the way. Even a simple indicator such as how much moisture is in my mouth indicates that even after 2 hours of running, I'm still fairly well hydrated. Also, the gatorade provides 50 cal per 8 oz serving, so that ends up being about 300 calories ingested during the run, which is a fairly significant portion of the energy expended during the exercise.
Total Time: 2:03
Total Distance: 12.3 miles
Avg HR: 148
Overall, I felt pretty good. The first 6 miles were not a problem at all. Like the 10 miler a couple weeks ago, I felt things starting to tighten up around the hour and 20 minute mark, but all things considered, that is understandable. After the run, it felt nice to stretch the quads a bit and flex my knees. When I got home, I noticed that my knees were making some cracking sounds, and although they didn't hurt, I decided to ice them for a good 15-20 minutes. I haven't heard any cracking from them since - and I know that many times those sorts of things are not a major deal - especially if there is no pain associated with them.
Also, after todays run, the taper begins. Looking ahead at the training schedule, most of the runs are in the 3-5 mile range, with next weekends run being 8 miles. There is no more speedwork remaining either.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
34 Mile bike ride - 10/4
It's been a while since I've gone on a bike ride. Since I've been concentrating on training for the half, and I haven't ridden my bike into work with the shorter days, I've been looking for a good opportunity to get in a ride during some weekend. It seemed that with this past week being a lower intensity running week, and with the weather being nice this weekend, it would be a good opportunity to take up.
Since I had left an ipod accessory with my laptop at the office, and I needed said accessory to put more audiobooks onto my ipod this weekend, I figured I'd just ride into the office and back. Each way is 17 miles, and certain sections can be somewhat hilly - so it would be a good workout.
Total Distance: 34 miles
Total Time: 2:31
Avg HR: 141
Since I had left an ipod accessory with my laptop at the office, and I needed said accessory to put more audiobooks onto my ipod this weekend, I figured I'd just ride into the office and back. Each way is 17 miles, and certain sections can be somewhat hilly - so it would be a good workout.
Total Distance: 34 miles
Total Time: 2:31
Avg HR: 141
Friday, October 3, 2008
6 Miles - 10/3
Today I decided to do 6 miles to try out a truss I received in the mail yesterday, which I had ordered earlier in the week. The truss basically provides support where the defect in the abdominal wall exists, so that the condition does not get any worse. By the way, the doctor confirmed the diagnosis, and I will be scheduling repair surgery over the winter.
In short, it appears that the truss does the trick. I ran the full 6 miles without feeling anything strange. The better test will come on Sunday when I do a full 12 miles, but given the results so far, I am 99.9% sure that I have found a temporarily solution to keep the hernia from getting worse while still allowing me to run the half in a couple weeks.
So my primary goal with the 6 today was simply to see if the truss would work, but I also decided to try and keep a race pace that I felt like I could sustain for 13 miles, and see where the time and HR ended up. In other worse, rather than be governed by heart rate, I would pace myself based on how I felt, and projecting how I would feel later on in the run. I felt pretty strong for the first 4 miles or so, but the last two miles of my 6 mile loop have some hills. At this point I decided to keep the speed up a bit, knowing it would kill any endurance - but I was curious as to how I would feel at the end - whether I would have much in the tank left or not. I also felt like having an extended period of time with the HR in the 170's would be good. I'd have Saturday as a rest day, and Sunday as a long slow run day.
Total Distance: 6 miles
Total Time: 55:12
Avg HR: 161
At the end, I felt like I could have gone farther, but the pace definately would have dropped. Up until the last two miles, I was surprised that even though my HR was in the 160-165 range quite a bit, my breathing was nice and relaxed. My legs felt like they were definately working, but not overworked. It seemed to be a nice comfortable race pace. Of course, all that kinda went out the window with the hills towards the end.
I'm a little surprised the avg HR was 161 - it felt like once I warmed up (the first 8-10 minutes) it was always above 160. However, during the downhill portions, the HR tends to plummet into the 140's - so I guess that had more of an effect on the average then I would have thought
In short, it appears that the truss does the trick. I ran the full 6 miles without feeling anything strange. The better test will come on Sunday when I do a full 12 miles, but given the results so far, I am 99.9% sure that I have found a temporarily solution to keep the hernia from getting worse while still allowing me to run the half in a couple weeks.
So my primary goal with the 6 today was simply to see if the truss would work, but I also decided to try and keep a race pace that I felt like I could sustain for 13 miles, and see where the time and HR ended up. In other worse, rather than be governed by heart rate, I would pace myself based on how I felt, and projecting how I would feel later on in the run. I felt pretty strong for the first 4 miles or so, but the last two miles of my 6 mile loop have some hills. At this point I decided to keep the speed up a bit, knowing it would kill any endurance - but I was curious as to how I would feel at the end - whether I would have much in the tank left or not. I also felt like having an extended period of time with the HR in the 170's would be good. I'd have Saturday as a rest day, and Sunday as a long slow run day.
Total Distance: 6 miles
Total Time: 55:12
Avg HR: 161
At the end, I felt like I could have gone farther, but the pace definately would have dropped. Up until the last two miles, I was surprised that even though my HR was in the 160-165 range quite a bit, my breathing was nice and relaxed. My legs felt like they were definately working, but not overworked. It seemed to be a nice comfortable race pace. Of course, all that kinda went out the window with the hills towards the end.
I'm a little surprised the avg HR was 161 - it felt like once I warmed up (the first 8-10 minutes) it was always above 160. However, during the downhill portions, the HR tends to plummet into the 140's - so I guess that had more of an effect on the average then I would have thought
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
4 Miles - 10/1
Monday was a rest day, and I opted to take Tuesday as a rest day as well. The house chore of mowing the lawn took precedence, since I wasn't able to mow all weekend with the ground so wet. I also figured that if I am going to have a rest week, I mine as well let all the minor aches and pains work themselves out (shin splints, ankles still a little tender, etc).
Not wanting to lose too much edge, but being limited to about 5 miles at the moment, I thought maybe doing a speed/tempo/hill run would be good. So after about a mile of warmup, I ran a loop around the house that includes about as much incline as there is in the immediate area. During the run, I tried to keep my HR above 170, allowing it to get into the 180's for brief periods of time at the top of the hill. Usually on the downhill sections, though, my HR got down into the high 150's or the 160's. In order to keep the HR in the 170's on the downhill, it would have required speeds that I'm not quite comfortable with, both for footing and traction reasons, as well as because going downhill seems a lot more impact-intensive than flat or uphill.
Lap 1 - 08:09 Avg HR 137 (warmup - 0.8 miles)
Lap 2 - 07:39 Avg HR 167 (first hill - 0.87 miles)
Lap 3 - 08:33 Avg HR 166 (down hill - 0.98 miles)
Lap 4 - 06:28 Avg HR 178 (second hill - 0.75 miles)
Lap 5 - 06:30 Avg HR 171 (down hill - 0.75 miles)
Total Distance: 3.35 miles (not including warmup)
Total Time: 29:13 (not including warmup)
Not wanting to lose too much edge, but being limited to about 5 miles at the moment, I thought maybe doing a speed/tempo/hill run would be good. So after about a mile of warmup, I ran a loop around the house that includes about as much incline as there is in the immediate area. During the run, I tried to keep my HR above 170, allowing it to get into the 180's for brief periods of time at the top of the hill. Usually on the downhill sections, though, my HR got down into the high 150's or the 160's. In order to keep the HR in the 170's on the downhill, it would have required speeds that I'm not quite comfortable with, both for footing and traction reasons, as well as because going downhill seems a lot more impact-intensive than flat or uphill.
Lap 1 - 08:09 Avg HR 137 (warmup - 0.8 miles)
Lap 2 - 07:39 Avg HR 167 (first hill - 0.87 miles)
Lap 3 - 08:33 Avg HR 166 (down hill - 0.98 miles)
Lap 4 - 06:28 Avg HR 178 (second hill - 0.75 miles)
Lap 5 - 06:30 Avg HR 171 (down hill - 0.75 miles)
Total Distance: 3.35 miles (not including warmup)
Total Time: 29:13 (not including warmup)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
4.6 miles - 9/28
Today's run was supposed to be 12 miles. My first thought on waking up was that it was rainy, and with an extra week in the schedule, I could do the long 12 mile run next week instead. The benefit to that would be that it would allow the proper taper - at least, it would allow the taper as prescribed in the training plan. It was definately not lack of desire or motivation.
On the other hand - rain is part of running. You sometimes just have to deal with it. Plus, it's not like I'm so competitive that the training plan as to be incredibly precise for me to achieve my goals.
The other factor in my mind is medical in nature, and wondering whether doing a long run at the moment is the best thing. In short, I think I have developed an inguinal hernia on my left side. Four years ago, I had developed one on my right side and had it repaired. Without going into all the details, the main point is that running did not cause my predisposition to the condition, genetics did. Running certainly doesn't help with all the jarring - but when I developed one on the other side, I wasn't running at all. So for me, chances are the blowing out the left side was only a matter of time. This Friday I have an appointment with my doctor to get an official diagnosis, and discuss options for allowing me to continue with the half marathon without making things worse in the meantime. As odd as it sounds, I hope it comes back positive, and I can get the ball rolling on surgical repair this winter. I'd rather enter next spring all fixed up and ready to go rather than have a lingering issue to worry about. Plus, I have LOTS of use-it-or-lose-it vacation time.
So, all things considered, this week will likely be a short run week. For a few days now I've found that at about the 4-5 mile mark, I start feeling the effects of said medical condition - so until I get to the doctor, long runs are on hold.
Total Distance: 4.65 miles
Total Time: 45:59
Avg HR: 147
On the other hand - rain is part of running. You sometimes just have to deal with it. Plus, it's not like I'm so competitive that the training plan as to be incredibly precise for me to achieve my goals.
The other factor in my mind is medical in nature, and wondering whether doing a long run at the moment is the best thing. In short, I think I have developed an inguinal hernia on my left side. Four years ago, I had developed one on my right side and had it repaired. Without going into all the details, the main point is that running did not cause my predisposition to the condition, genetics did. Running certainly doesn't help with all the jarring - but when I developed one on the other side, I wasn't running at all. So for me, chances are the blowing out the left side was only a matter of time. This Friday I have an appointment with my doctor to get an official diagnosis, and discuss options for allowing me to continue with the half marathon without making things worse in the meantime. As odd as it sounds, I hope it comes back positive, and I can get the ball rolling on surgical repair this winter. I'd rather enter next spring all fixed up and ready to go rather than have a lingering issue to worry about. Plus, I have LOTS of use-it-or-lose-it vacation time.
So, all things considered, this week will likely be a short run week. For a few days now I've found that at about the 4-5 mile mark, I start feeling the effects of said medical condition - so until I get to the doctor, long runs are on hold.
Total Distance: 4.65 miles
Total Time: 45:59
Avg HR: 147
Saturday, September 27, 2008
6 Miles - 9/27
With rain in the forecast for the whole day, there was really no way to avoid it. I started off around 12:30-12:45pm when it wasn't raining, but at about the 3 mile mark, the sky opened up. I got completely soaked.
But that doesn't mean I can't run. Who is to say that race day won't be in the rain anyway? Some rain is ok - it cools you off and isn't too much of a hindrance. However, after a long enough time, or heavy enough rain, your feet get wet. Then the concern is about the condition of the skin on your feet - skin tears, blisters, etc.
Three miles isn't too much for it to be a concern, though - so I kept going. It got a little interesting having to dodge puddles and sometimes stopping to let cars go by so that I wouldn't get splashed, but this wasn't a run where time was a major factor.
Total Time: 1:02:23
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Avg HR: 151
But that doesn't mean I can't run. Who is to say that race day won't be in the rain anyway? Some rain is ok - it cools you off and isn't too much of a hindrance. However, after a long enough time, or heavy enough rain, your feet get wet. Then the concern is about the condition of the skin on your feet - skin tears, blisters, etc.
Three miles isn't too much for it to be a concern, though - so I kept going. It got a little interesting having to dodge puddles and sometimes stopping to let cars go by so that I wouldn't get splashed, but this wasn't a run where time was a major factor.
Total Time: 1:02:23
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Avg HR: 151
Thursday, September 25, 2008
7 Miles - 9/25
I had thought earlier (a few weeks ago) that perhaps a good idea would be to have the day after speedwork be a recovery run, and then the day after that would be a tempo run. However, with the distance of the runs after speedwork getting longer (total of 13 miles this week, as opposed to earlier in the program where the distance was about half), I decided that perhaps that isn't such a great idea.
This was also brought on by the fact that my ankles were slightly uncomfortable. I'm not really sure why - it is not like I've had ankle discomfort after one of the long runs, so I dont know why I would have it now. The only thought I had was that perhaps this weeks speedwork, which included some hills, maybe resulted in parts of my ankle receiving more abuse then they normally do. This would be due to the slightly different angling of the foot when placed on the ground beneath. It seems to correspond with the fact that the front of the ankles are uncomfortable. Who knows - it is just a thought.
With the runs getting longer, I end up running in the dark on a regular basis now, which means donning the super loud neon yellow safety shirt, and bringing an LED flashlight along with me. On the plus side, there is no sun to worry about.
Total Distance: 7 miles
Total Time: 1:07:01
Average HR: 149
Not much else to comment on, except that my 150 pace tends to put me around the 9:30 min/mile mark on a regular basis, whereas previously it put me north of 10 minutes.
This was also brought on by the fact that my ankles were slightly uncomfortable. I'm not really sure why - it is not like I've had ankle discomfort after one of the long runs, so I dont know why I would have it now. The only thought I had was that perhaps this weeks speedwork, which included some hills, maybe resulted in parts of my ankle receiving more abuse then they normally do. This would be due to the slightly different angling of the foot when placed on the ground beneath. It seems to correspond with the fact that the front of the ankles are uncomfortable. Who knows - it is just a thought.
With the runs getting longer, I end up running in the dark on a regular basis now, which means donning the super loud neon yellow safety shirt, and bringing an LED flashlight along with me. On the plus side, there is no sun to worry about.
Total Distance: 7 miles
Total Time: 1:07:01
Average HR: 149
Not much else to comment on, except that my 150 pace tends to put me around the 9:30 min/mile mark on a regular basis, whereas previously it put me north of 10 minutes.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
6 Miles - 9/24
These runs following speedwork days have steadily gotten longer. They started out around 3 miles, but have gone to 4 miles, then 5, and now 6. Fortunately, it appears that my legs have adapted as well - the initial speedwork days were so exhausting to my legs that they would be pretty well shot for a few days afterwards.
I made a mental mistake today in that I started out figuring I'd go for the 155-160 HR range. That had put me around the 9 min/mile pace for about 2 miles before it dawned on me that todays run, being after a speed work day, is supposed to be a recovery run, and therefore is supposed to be at a slower pace on purpose. I suppose it is good that I felt good enough to want to push things a little bit - but it did require consciously slowing down a few times during the run to keep my HR down a bit. Especially towards the end, when I was doing a quick calc of my overall pace - I was really tempted to dial up the pace for the last mile, but I had to keep telling myself that the point of todays run is recovery - not performance.
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Total Time: 58:28
Avg HR: 150
I made a mental mistake today in that I started out figuring I'd go for the 155-160 HR range. That had put me around the 9 min/mile pace for about 2 miles before it dawned on me that todays run, being after a speed work day, is supposed to be a recovery run, and therefore is supposed to be at a slower pace on purpose. I suppose it is good that I felt good enough to want to push things a little bit - but it did require consciously slowing down a few times during the run to keep my HR down a bit. Especially towards the end, when I was doing a quick calc of my overall pace - I was really tempted to dial up the pace for the last mile, but I had to keep telling myself that the point of todays run is recovery - not performance.
Total Distance: 6 Miles
Total Time: 58:28
Avg HR: 150
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mile Repeats - 9/23
Redemption.
The day of rest was perfect. I woke up this morning and had very little, if any, residual soreness in my back from this past weekend, and my legs felt good again.
Todays workout was the last real speed workout on the training plan - being 4 x 1 mile repeats at a 5-10k pace. That was before I realized that the training plan ends a week before the race - so there is a good chance I'll do more speedwork next week - but we'll see. I decided to go for an average HR of 165-170, like the last set of mile repeats a few week ago. With the 880 speed work during the past couple weeks being at an average of 170, I figured I should be able to maintain the 165-170 rate a bit better this time around. However, once again - the average HR displayed is lower due to ramp up time. So when I say an average HR of 165-170, that generally corresponds to getting the HR up to that point and keeping it in that range, plus or minus a few bpm due to grade.
Also different today from previous mile repeats was that I took the full 2 minutes walk rest in between each repeat, as opposed to jogging in place until my HR got down to the 150 range. From looking at various training plans and doing more reading up on how plans are designed, it just seems like doing a walking rest is generally the preferred method in between repeats. In my case today, this got my HR down to the 115 range at the end of the 2 minute rest.
So, here we go:
Mile 1 Repeat: 7:41 Avg HR 161 end HR 167
Mile 2 Repeat: 7:43 Avg HR 163 end HR 173
Mile 3 Repeat: 7:50 Avg HR 164 end HR 167
Mile 4 Repeat: 8:04 Avg HR 164 end HR 170
Total Distance: 4.12 miles
Avg HR: 163
Average Pace: 7:36
Wow! What a difference! Looking at the numbers for my first set of mile repeats back on 8/27, I did three repeats, shooting for 170 bpm, and did them around the 9 min/mile pace. Barely a month later, a solid 80 seconds have been knocked off. Looking back at that days blog entry, I'm reminded how painful that speedwork was, and when I think about the subsequent days of speedwork in the following weeks - they each have gotten a little easier. I still find that they are the hardest workouts of the week (harder than the long runs, which surprised me), but I'm really surprised that only one true speed workout a week is making that much of a difference.
The day of rest was perfect. I woke up this morning and had very little, if any, residual soreness in my back from this past weekend, and my legs felt good again.
Todays workout was the last real speed workout on the training plan - being 4 x 1 mile repeats at a 5-10k pace. That was before I realized that the training plan ends a week before the race - so there is a good chance I'll do more speedwork next week - but we'll see. I decided to go for an average HR of 165-170, like the last set of mile repeats a few week ago. With the 880 speed work during the past couple weeks being at an average of 170, I figured I should be able to maintain the 165-170 rate a bit better this time around. However, once again - the average HR displayed is lower due to ramp up time. So when I say an average HR of 165-170, that generally corresponds to getting the HR up to that point and keeping it in that range, plus or minus a few bpm due to grade.
Also different today from previous mile repeats was that I took the full 2 minutes walk rest in between each repeat, as opposed to jogging in place until my HR got down to the 150 range. From looking at various training plans and doing more reading up on how plans are designed, it just seems like doing a walking rest is generally the preferred method in between repeats. In my case today, this got my HR down to the 115 range at the end of the 2 minute rest.
So, here we go:
Mile 1 Repeat: 7:41 Avg HR 161 end HR 167
Mile 2 Repeat: 7:43 Avg HR 163 end HR 173
Mile 3 Repeat: 7:50 Avg HR 164 end HR 167
Mile 4 Repeat: 8:04 Avg HR 164 end HR 170
Total Distance: 4.12 miles
Avg HR: 163
Average Pace: 7:36
Wow! What a difference! Looking at the numbers for my first set of mile repeats back on 8/27, I did three repeats, shooting for 170 bpm, and did them around the 9 min/mile pace. Barely a month later, a solid 80 seconds have been knocked off. Looking back at that days blog entry, I'm reminded how painful that speedwork was, and when I think about the subsequent days of speedwork in the following weeks - they each have gotten a little easier. I still find that they are the hardest workouts of the week (harder than the long runs, which surprised me), but I'm really surprised that only one true speed workout a week is making that much of a difference.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
9/21 - Some days you have it...
... And some days you don't.
The plan was to do an 8 miler today, and I originally thought about doing it in the morning due to afternoon plans that were already scheduled. However, when I woke up, my back was still stiff from sealcoating the driveway yesterday, and I was still a bit sore all over from the swimming last night. So, the morning was out.
So once I had some time in the afternoon, I finally set off. Having just finished pushing a mower around the yard for about an hour and fifteen minutes, I was already a little bit tired, but figured I'd plod through it. However, I was still quite stiff and things just didn't feel as smooth and loose. I figured I'd give it a mile or two to see what happens, but started re-evaluating whether I would actually do all 8 miles. I also started doubting the wisdom of doing the 8 miles right after a 7 miler - the original plan had a rest day in between, and well timed rest can be a very important part of any training program.
After a couple miles, things did start to loosen up, but it still wasn't quite right. It was very strange - the level of effort seemed similar to a normal run, but my HR was in the 130's a lot - significantly lower than my normal long run rate. However, I could tell that my pace was also quite a bit slower as well.
After about 4 miles, I felt a little twinge near my hip, and decided that was enough. Between not feeling right in the first place, it taking a long time to loosen up (to whatever degree I could), and the doubt as to weather I should do the full 8 or not - any incident of a potential real physical problem was just too much. What I felt was similar to what I had felt during the 7 mile run back on 9/1 - and since that had not flared up during longer runs like the 9 miler or the 10 miler - I'm not too overly concerned. But perhaps rest is the proper prescription in this case.
So here are todays unimpressive results:
Total Time: 45:47
Total Distance: 4.25 Miles
Avg HR: 137
It is strange - the 10:46 pace of today is in line with many of the other long runs I've done in the pace, which were generally around 10:30 per mile. Yet the HR is so much lower. Perhaps the pace during longer runs is not nearly as steady as I thought, and I end up slowing down quite a bit towards to end to keep the HR in the 150 zone. On the other hand, today was a much shorter run.
Whatever - it is what it is.
The plan was to do an 8 miler today, and I originally thought about doing it in the morning due to afternoon plans that were already scheduled. However, when I woke up, my back was still stiff from sealcoating the driveway yesterday, and I was still a bit sore all over from the swimming last night. So, the morning was out.
So once I had some time in the afternoon, I finally set off. Having just finished pushing a mower around the yard for about an hour and fifteen minutes, I was already a little bit tired, but figured I'd plod through it. However, I was still quite stiff and things just didn't feel as smooth and loose. I figured I'd give it a mile or two to see what happens, but started re-evaluating whether I would actually do all 8 miles. I also started doubting the wisdom of doing the 8 miles right after a 7 miler - the original plan had a rest day in between, and well timed rest can be a very important part of any training program.
After a couple miles, things did start to loosen up, but it still wasn't quite right. It was very strange - the level of effort seemed similar to a normal run, but my HR was in the 130's a lot - significantly lower than my normal long run rate. However, I could tell that my pace was also quite a bit slower as well.
After about 4 miles, I felt a little twinge near my hip, and decided that was enough. Between not feeling right in the first place, it taking a long time to loosen up (to whatever degree I could), and the doubt as to weather I should do the full 8 or not - any incident of a potential real physical problem was just too much. What I felt was similar to what I had felt during the 7 mile run back on 9/1 - and since that had not flared up during longer runs like the 9 miler or the 10 miler - I'm not too overly concerned. But perhaps rest is the proper prescription in this case.
So here are todays unimpressive results:
Total Time: 45:47
Total Distance: 4.25 Miles
Avg HR: 137
It is strange - the 10:46 pace of today is in line with many of the other long runs I've done in the pace, which were generally around 10:30 per mile. Yet the HR is so much lower. Perhaps the pace during longer runs is not nearly as steady as I thought, and I end up slowing down quite a bit towards to end to keep the HR in the 150 zone. On the other hand, today was a much shorter run.
Whatever - it is what it is.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
27 Minutes swim - 9/20
Today I doubled up by doing a swim session in addition to the running this morning. I really wanted to try and get my brain to a happy place where it could zone out like it does when I'm running - so I decided I'd try and just go for a full 30 minutes without stopping, and hopefully somewhere in there my brain would turn off and time would pass.
Well, that didn't quite happen. There is more coordination required for swimming, since you have to time movements to avoid swallowing a mouthful of water. So some degree of brain power had to be maintained. Unfortunately, it seemed like that small amount required was enough to keep me from being able to zone out.
But I was successful in getting more time in overall. Rather than the 18-20 minutes of previous sessions, I was able to get closer to 30 minutes this time. I also experimented with going from one type of stroke to another to vary things up a bit and give a rest to some muscles without having to stop entirely.
Lap 1: 5:18 Avg HR: 140
Lap 2: 5:01 Avg HR: 152
Lap 3: 3:57 Avg HR: 155
Lap 4: 4:36 Avg HR: 155
Lap 5: 3:07 Avg HR: 153
Lap 6: 5:02 Avg HR: 152
Total Time: 27:01
Avg HR: 151
The power setting was generally between 40 and 45 - I varied it a couple times, but dont remember specifics.
Well, that didn't quite happen. There is more coordination required for swimming, since you have to time movements to avoid swallowing a mouthful of water. So some degree of brain power had to be maintained. Unfortunately, it seemed like that small amount required was enough to keep me from being able to zone out.
But I was successful in getting more time in overall. Rather than the 18-20 minutes of previous sessions, I was able to get closer to 30 minutes this time. I also experimented with going from one type of stroke to another to vary things up a bit and give a rest to some muscles without having to stop entirely.
Lap 1: 5:18 Avg HR: 140
Lap 2: 5:01 Avg HR: 152
Lap 3: 3:57 Avg HR: 155
Lap 4: 4:36 Avg HR: 155
Lap 5: 3:07 Avg HR: 153
Lap 6: 5:02 Avg HR: 152
Total Time: 27:01
Avg HR: 151
The power setting was generally between 40 and 45 - I varied it a couple times, but dont remember specifics.
7 Miles - 9/20
Based on the schedule, Friday was supposed to be the 7 mile run. However, I was travelling back home in the evening and never had a good chance to get the run in. The original schedule had Friday be the 7 mile run day, Saturday be rest, Sunday a 3 mile run, and Monday either a 10k race or an 8 mile run. So the long run this week is not like it had been in the past where the distance increases by a mile or two. Given that I was unable to run on Friday, I decided to do the 7 miler today, and do the 8 miles tomorrow, and have Monday as a rest day. I figured this would be good for a few reasons - one, it sets my long run day to Sunday instead of Monday (which is beneficial for its own couple reasons); two - in leiu of the long endurance run for the week, it seems like a 7 miler followed by 8 might be a good compromise for not increasing distance on a single run; third - the run I'm missing is just the 3 mile run - not a big deal.
I also did this run in the morning, which is something I am not used to - and it showed. Although my legs felt fine, I had a real hard time keeping my heartrate down to the 150 area. It wanted to sneak up to 160 when any incline was reached, or when I was going faster than what seemed like a laboriously slow plod. It occured to me that there were probably a couple reasons for this: the dehydration that typically occurs during sleep, and the fact that I was running about 12 hrs after my last real meal.
The last two miles I brought the dog along with me because he needed some exercise. The unfortunate consequence of this is that it inserted some breaks in between the run - to pick him up and stopping when nature either called or threatened to call him. Alas - no training plan is executed perfectly. Dems da' breaks.
Leg 1: 54:22 avg HR: 152 (5.5 miles without dog)
Leg 2: 9:06 avg HR: 158
Leg 3: 0:33 avg HR: 143
Leg 4: 1:36 avg HR: 140
Leg 5: 4:13 avg HR: 145
Leg 6: 2:18 avg HR: 159
Total Time: 72:08
Total Distance: 7 miles
Avg HR: about 154
I also did this run in the morning, which is something I am not used to - and it showed. Although my legs felt fine, I had a real hard time keeping my heartrate down to the 150 area. It wanted to sneak up to 160 when any incline was reached, or when I was going faster than what seemed like a laboriously slow plod. It occured to me that there were probably a couple reasons for this: the dehydration that typically occurs during sleep, and the fact that I was running about 12 hrs after my last real meal.
The last two miles I brought the dog along with me because he needed some exercise. The unfortunate consequence of this is that it inserted some breaks in between the run - to pick him up and stopping when nature either called or threatened to call him. Alas - no training plan is executed perfectly. Dems da' breaks.
Leg 1: 54:22 avg HR: 152 (5.5 miles without dog)
Leg 2: 9:06 avg HR: 158
Leg 3: 0:33 avg HR: 143
Leg 4: 1:36 avg HR: 140
Leg 5: 4:13 avg HR: 145
Leg 6: 2:18 avg HR: 159
Total Time: 72:08
Total Distance: 7 miles
Avg HR: about 154
Thursday, September 18, 2008
4 Miles - 9/18
The workouts the day after speed workouts seem to consistently be the hardest of the 'easy runs'. It takes my joints a good 1.5 to 2 miles to loosen up and start feeling kinda normal, but just as that starts to happen, some of them replace tightness with the uncomfortability of overuse - which is slightly different.
I dont know if it is just me - but it seems like the long runs, even though they last for 90 minutes or more, end up being somewhat lower impact on the joints then the speed work.
So, todays run:
Total Distance: 4.08 Miles
Total Time: 40:14
Avg HR: 147
I dont know if it is just me - but it seems like the long runs, even though they last for 90 minutes or more, end up being somewhat lower impact on the joints then the speed work.
So, todays run:
Total Distance: 4.08 Miles
Total Time: 40:14
Avg HR: 147
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
6 x 880 - 9/17
Time for the weekly speed workout. Like last week, this was comprised of 6 x 880's. Last week, I ran these sets at a local track, and did a slow jog for the 2 minutes rest period in between each set. Since I'm not home this week, I opted for a 1/4 mile stretch of straight and flat road bounded by cross streets near the hotel, and ran up and back for the 1/2 mile distance. I also decided to walk for the 2 minute period to get my HR down a bit lower.
Before I set out, I put on the HR monitor to get a more accurate reading of my resting heart rate. I had been going with 65 over the past few weeks, but there have been times recently when I've been sitting down, and it seemed to be a bit slower than that. Apparently you are supposed to obtain resting heart rate when you've been lying down for 20 minutes or so, but I didn't wait that long. After about 3-4 minutes, the lowest reading was 50 bpm - so I've updated the HR post with the new training zones. The overall effect is at the low intensities, the HR drops by about 6 bpm, and scales proportionally up to the high end, where the 95% intensity is less than 1 bpm difference.
Anyway - for today's run, I decided to build up to an avg HR of about 175, and let my speed be what it would be. I felt like I wanted to push myself a bit more then last weeks speed work, and I was curious what my endurance at that HR (which turns out to be at the 90% intensity rate) would be.
Here it goes:
Lap 1: 5:07 Avg HR 134 (warmup)
Lap 2: 3:09 Avg HR 170 (end HR 175)
Lap 3: 3:20 Avg HR 168 (end HR 179)
Lap 4: 3:24 Avg HR 170 (end HR 179)
Lap 5: 3:41 Avg HR 167 (end HR 175)
Lap 6: 3:47 Avg HR 166 (end HR 175)
Lap 7: 3:39 Avg HR 166 (end HR 175)
Total Time (excluding warmup and rest): 21:00
Total Distance (exclusing warmup and rest): 3 Miles
So, like last week, the speed tailed off as the workout progressed. Also, I'm a little surprised that the avg HR ended up in the high 160's as opposed to the low 170's. It seemed like the last 2/3 of each 880 had the HR above 170 - but I suppose perhaps the walking rest, where the HR lowered to about 120-125, vs the jogging rest last week (where the HR lowered to 155 or so) could account for that.
Regardless, for the same distance of 3 miles, I was able to shave off almost a full minute.
Before I set out, I put on the HR monitor to get a more accurate reading of my resting heart rate. I had been going with 65 over the past few weeks, but there have been times recently when I've been sitting down, and it seemed to be a bit slower than that. Apparently you are supposed to obtain resting heart rate when you've been lying down for 20 minutes or so, but I didn't wait that long. After about 3-4 minutes, the lowest reading was 50 bpm - so I've updated the HR post with the new training zones. The overall effect is at the low intensities, the HR drops by about 6 bpm, and scales proportionally up to the high end, where the 95% intensity is less than 1 bpm difference.
Anyway - for today's run, I decided to build up to an avg HR of about 175, and let my speed be what it would be. I felt like I wanted to push myself a bit more then last weeks speed work, and I was curious what my endurance at that HR (which turns out to be at the 90% intensity rate) would be.
Here it goes:
Lap 1: 5:07 Avg HR 134 (warmup)
Lap 2: 3:09 Avg HR 170 (end HR 175)
Lap 3: 3:20 Avg HR 168 (end HR 179)
Lap 4: 3:24 Avg HR 170 (end HR 179)
Lap 5: 3:41 Avg HR 167 (end HR 175)
Lap 6: 3:47 Avg HR 166 (end HR 175)
Lap 7: 3:39 Avg HR 166 (end HR 175)
Total Time (excluding warmup and rest): 21:00
Total Distance (exclusing warmup and rest): 3 Miles
So, like last week, the speed tailed off as the workout progressed. Also, I'm a little surprised that the avg HR ended up in the high 160's as opposed to the low 170's. It seemed like the last 2/3 of each 880 had the HR above 170 - but I suppose perhaps the walking rest, where the HR lowered to about 120-125, vs the jogging rest last week (where the HR lowered to 155 or so) could account for that.
Regardless, for the same distance of 3 miles, I was able to shave off almost a full minute.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fat burning and calorie expenditure during endurance training.
During my long run yesterday, I finally worked out a simple analogy to explain why lower intensity workouts burn a higher percentage of fat than higher intensity workouts. The way that this idea is usually conveyed led to large degree of confusion for a long time for me. I've come to the conclusion that it basically comes down to the general concept being lost in translation. Very often, one is told that lower intensity workouts burn more fat, and thus for weight loss, lower intensity is the better way to go. This is reinforced by seeing a scale on a treadmill of heart rate and training zones, and the lower end of it is labelled with big letters as the 'FAT BURNING ZONE'.
The thing that perplexed me was this - it takes X calories to do an activity, say run 1 mile. Why in hell would it burn more fat if I do it at a slower pace then at a faster pace. Either way, X calories were spent and burned, right? So why does it matter?
Turns out, I was on to something. What is missing from the generalization is that the so-called fat burning zone is operating on a percentage basis of where the energy comes from. A larger percentage of the calories required for the activity comes from fat when doing the exercise at a low intensity as opposed to a higher intensity. However, percentages are not absolutes - and in reality, more calories overall are burned by going at the higher intensity rate.
So the analogy I thought of was this. Imagine you are tending to a small fire, which represents your basic metabolic rate of calories burned, and you have 1 cord of nice, dry, aged firewood available and 3 cords of wet firewood available. The nice, easily burned wood represents the glycogen (energy) in the bloodstream, and the wet firewood represents the energy you have available in fat reserves. The BTU's are there, but not as easily accessible, becaeuse the excess water must be driven off first.
For whatever reason, you have need to stoke the fire and get it burning hotter. This represents the extra energy required by the exercise you are doing. You have a few choices - you can use the dry firewood, you can use the wet firewood, or you can use a little of both types.
If the fire needs to get real hot real quick, which in this analogy means you are sprinting at top speed, the only option available is to dig into your store of nice dry aged firewood. Once hot enough, you can throw in a small amount of the wet firewood so that you conserve a small amount of the ready-to-go firewood, but the vast majority of fuel is the good dry firewood. Lets say in this example that the ratio is 6 pieces of good firewood to 1 piece of the wet firewood. In this scenario, the available fuel of dry firewood is expended relatively quickly, and before too long, there is little to none left. You are out of gas, and can no longer continue at the same speed. You are forced to slow down to whatever meager flame can be attained from burning a fuel mixture comprised mostly of wet firewood.
On the other hand, if you need to get the fire just a little bit warmer than it originally was, which in this analogy means increasing your pace slightly above normal metabolic rate (essentially somewhere in the aerobic zone), then you can add in a little bit of the easily burned firewood, and a little bit of the wet firewood. You may be able to maintain the desired fire with a ratio of more like 2:1, rather then 6:1. As a result, the percentage of wet firewood (fat) to dry firewood (glycogen) is higher, at 33% vs 16%.
However, one needs to keep in mind that all else being equal (time, conditions, etc) - higher intensity ultimately burns more calories. The hotter flame is able to raise the dry firewood to combustion temperatures much more quickly, and thus consume fuel at a faster rate than the smaller flame.
Ok, so maybe this analogy is not quite as ground breaking as I thought it was when I thought of it. If so, I'm blaming it on the fact that I thought of it on mile 7 and during obvious oxygen deficit to the brain :)
Here is a good article I found that discusses aerobic training, anaerobic training, metabolism and all that good stuff.
The thing that perplexed me was this - it takes X calories to do an activity, say run 1 mile. Why in hell would it burn more fat if I do it at a slower pace then at a faster pace. Either way, X calories were spent and burned, right? So why does it matter?
Turns out, I was on to something. What is missing from the generalization is that the so-called fat burning zone is operating on a percentage basis of where the energy comes from. A larger percentage of the calories required for the activity comes from fat when doing the exercise at a low intensity as opposed to a higher intensity. However, percentages are not absolutes - and in reality, more calories overall are burned by going at the higher intensity rate.
So the analogy I thought of was this. Imagine you are tending to a small fire, which represents your basic metabolic rate of calories burned, and you have 1 cord of nice, dry, aged firewood available and 3 cords of wet firewood available. The nice, easily burned wood represents the glycogen (energy) in the bloodstream, and the wet firewood represents the energy you have available in fat reserves. The BTU's are there, but not as easily accessible, becaeuse the excess water must be driven off first.
For whatever reason, you have need to stoke the fire and get it burning hotter. This represents the extra energy required by the exercise you are doing. You have a few choices - you can use the dry firewood, you can use the wet firewood, or you can use a little of both types.
If the fire needs to get real hot real quick, which in this analogy means you are sprinting at top speed, the only option available is to dig into your store of nice dry aged firewood. Once hot enough, you can throw in a small amount of the wet firewood so that you conserve a small amount of the ready-to-go firewood, but the vast majority of fuel is the good dry firewood. Lets say in this example that the ratio is 6 pieces of good firewood to 1 piece of the wet firewood. In this scenario, the available fuel of dry firewood is expended relatively quickly, and before too long, there is little to none left. You are out of gas, and can no longer continue at the same speed. You are forced to slow down to whatever meager flame can be attained from burning a fuel mixture comprised mostly of wet firewood.
On the other hand, if you need to get the fire just a little bit warmer than it originally was, which in this analogy means increasing your pace slightly above normal metabolic rate (essentially somewhere in the aerobic zone), then you can add in a little bit of the easily burned firewood, and a little bit of the wet firewood. You may be able to maintain the desired fire with a ratio of more like 2:1, rather then 6:1. As a result, the percentage of wet firewood (fat) to dry firewood (glycogen) is higher, at 33% vs 16%.
However, one needs to keep in mind that all else being equal (time, conditions, etc) - higher intensity ultimately burns more calories. The hotter flame is able to raise the dry firewood to combustion temperatures much more quickly, and thus consume fuel at a faster rate than the smaller flame.
Ok, so maybe this analogy is not quite as ground breaking as I thought it was when I thought of it. If so, I'm blaming it on the fact that I thought of it on mile 7 and during obvious oxygen deficit to the brain :)
Here is a good article I found that discusses aerobic training, anaerobic training, metabolism and all that good stuff.
Monday, September 15, 2008
10 Miles - 9/15
Todays run was the 2nd longest of the training program at 10 miles. Once again, the idea with these long runs is slow and easy, and to gradually increase the amount of pounding that the lower body joints receive in order to build up their toughness and endurance.
This time, a new wrinkle was added in. I'm in Easton, MD for work this week, so part of the challenge was to find, in short order, a place where I could run 10 miles fairly comfortably. So, what better way than to ask the locals. I was told that Oxford Rd (Rt 333) is a good choice because of the very wide shoulders, its length, and the relatively light amount of traffic. After doing a quick recon ride during lunch, I decided it would be a good fit, and I could get there relatively easily from my hotel - so no need to drive and park the car.
Before I left, however, I stocked up on a 24 oz bottle of gatorade and a 24 oz bottle of water from the local convenience store. This was where knowing a little bit about my sweat rate paid dividends. Knowing that in relatively cool conditions with no sun, I'll lose about 2.2 lbs of water per hour, I figured that 48 oz of fluid for a near 2 hour run in slightly warmer conditions should be ok. While it is still a net loss, and that weight will have to be made up afterwards, it is much better being in a fluid deficit of 15-20 oz then closer to 60 oz. My body is used to 15-20 oz, as that is what is loses during short runs when I dont bring fluids along with me. Plus, I didn't want the extra bulk and weight of 32 oz bottles - that would be quite a bit more cumbersome.
Overall, it was a very good run. The first 5 miles were a breeze, and went by pretty quickly. On the way back, I found that my hips started tightening up around the 80 minute mark. Not too bad, but noticable. Then around the 95 minute mark they tightened up a bit more. While it didn't hurt, it started to get annoying. At this point, I still had about 12-16 oz of water left, and my HR started creeping up to 155 and I had a difficult time getting it down, so I started drinking water a little more aggressively. After about 10 minutes, things loosened up a bit and the HR went down. Not sure if the water was the primary reason or not, but it was an interesting coincidence.
Total Time: 1:47:47
Avg HR: 151
Total Distance: 10.1 miles
Due to the tightness, and the fact that when I stopped my knees felt a little bit like jello (funky feeling - I recommend everyone try it at least once), I stretched out a bit during the cool down. Alternating walking a bit with stretching various muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, calfs, etc) seemed to work well, and my knees started feeling normal again.
Also, just as a precaution, I'm planning to stretch a bit more throughout the evening, and also try to get some cold on my knees. I haveno pain at all, so I'm not concerned, but taking precautions never hurts. Without a cold compress on me, it looks like I'll have to get creative with wet washcloths and the mini fridge/freezer in the hotel room.
This time, a new wrinkle was added in. I'm in Easton, MD for work this week, so part of the challenge was to find, in short order, a place where I could run 10 miles fairly comfortably. So, what better way than to ask the locals. I was told that Oxford Rd (Rt 333) is a good choice because of the very wide shoulders, its length, and the relatively light amount of traffic. After doing a quick recon ride during lunch, I decided it would be a good fit, and I could get there relatively easily from my hotel - so no need to drive and park the car.
Before I left, however, I stocked up on a 24 oz bottle of gatorade and a 24 oz bottle of water from the local convenience store. This was where knowing a little bit about my sweat rate paid dividends. Knowing that in relatively cool conditions with no sun, I'll lose about 2.2 lbs of water per hour, I figured that 48 oz of fluid for a near 2 hour run in slightly warmer conditions should be ok. While it is still a net loss, and that weight will have to be made up afterwards, it is much better being in a fluid deficit of 15-20 oz then closer to 60 oz. My body is used to 15-20 oz, as that is what is loses during short runs when I dont bring fluids along with me. Plus, I didn't want the extra bulk and weight of 32 oz bottles - that would be quite a bit more cumbersome.
Overall, it was a very good run. The first 5 miles were a breeze, and went by pretty quickly. On the way back, I found that my hips started tightening up around the 80 minute mark. Not too bad, but noticable. Then around the 95 minute mark they tightened up a bit more. While it didn't hurt, it started to get annoying. At this point, I still had about 12-16 oz of water left, and my HR started creeping up to 155 and I had a difficult time getting it down, so I started drinking water a little more aggressively. After about 10 minutes, things loosened up a bit and the HR went down. Not sure if the water was the primary reason or not, but it was an interesting coincidence.
Total Time: 1:47:47
Avg HR: 151
Total Distance: 10.1 miles
Due to the tightness, and the fact that when I stopped my knees felt a little bit like jello (funky feeling - I recommend everyone try it at least once), I stretched out a bit during the cool down. Alternating walking a bit with stretching various muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, calfs, etc) seemed to work well, and my knees started feeling normal again.
Also, just as a precaution, I'm planning to stretch a bit more throughout the evening, and also try to get some cold on my knees. I haveno pain at all, so I'm not concerned, but taking precautions never hurts. Without a cold compress on me, it looks like I'll have to get creative with wet washcloths and the mini fridge/freezer in the hotel room.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
20 minutes swim - 9/13
Today is a definate running rest day, and tomorrow will likely be another one as well. Being the one before the weeks long run of 10 miles, I am operating under the thought that it (the 5 miler scheduled for tomorrow) is the least critical of the planned runs. Being conservative with respect to possible injury - I'd rather have the extra rest leading up to the long run day.
Just like last week, perfect opportunity to jump into the endless pool. I started out thinking I'd do more than I did last week (about 20 minutes) - but I started realizing that time passes by relatively slowly. At least with running, you see things pass by (in my case, everything is a blur, as I am like the road runner out there. Meep! Meep!) - and even swimming laps, you have the turns and walls - a sense of at least making progress. There isn't quite the same sense of progress in an endless pool, and I'm starting to find that to be a challenge.
So I need to come up with some way to occupy my brain. Perhaps a waterproof cover for my ipod, along with waterproof headphones would help do the trick. I normally dont like listening to music while exercising, as the average song length of 5 minutes or so just makes me more conscious of the time passing. However, in this case, it just might work and be worth a shot. We'll have to see - it is a bit heavy of an investment for a 'maybe'.
Anyhow - todays total exercise time was 20:11. I dont have HR info because even when tightened further, the HR chest strap kept slipping. I did just come across a web page where someone mentioned the idea of using stretch nylon to help hold it in place.
Just like last week, perfect opportunity to jump into the endless pool. I started out thinking I'd do more than I did last week (about 20 minutes) - but I started realizing that time passes by relatively slowly. At least with running, you see things pass by (in my case, everything is a blur, as I am like the road runner out there. Meep! Meep!) - and even swimming laps, you have the turns and walls - a sense of at least making progress. There isn't quite the same sense of progress in an endless pool, and I'm starting to find that to be a challenge.
So I need to come up with some way to occupy my brain. Perhaps a waterproof cover for my ipod, along with waterproof headphones would help do the trick. I normally dont like listening to music while exercising, as the average song length of 5 minutes or so just makes me more conscious of the time passing. However, in this case, it just might work and be worth a shot. We'll have to see - it is a bit heavy of an investment for a 'maybe'.
Anyhow - todays total exercise time was 20:11. I dont have HR info because even when tightened further, the HR chest strap kept slipping. I did just come across a web page where someone mentioned the idea of using stretch nylon to help hold it in place.
Friday, September 12, 2008
6 Miles - 9/12
Believe it or not, running in the rain can be an oddly enjoyable experience. Provided you are wearing proper running clothes that dont hold a lot of water, and you are able to keep your feet relatively dry, there is something incredibly soothing about having rain drops hit you while you are running along.
I debated whether to go on todays run. My legs and everything felt fine this morning, but as the day wore on, some parts of my left knee seemed a little inflammed still. While I'm a little hypersensitive to knee injuries due to running, I also know that many times, knee pain will go away if treated properly (RICE = Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). However, given all the scheduling factors for the next few days (leaving on Sunday for a week, Monday being long run day, tomorrow being the scheduled rest day), I decided to give it a shot, figuring that I'd more then likely have both tomorrow and Sunday as rest days.
So once I decided to go for it, I thought it would be cool if I were able to run the 6 miles in my secondary goal race pace of 9 minutes/mile. Since yesterday was a slow tempo day, and with two rest days coming up, I figured I'd shoot for an average HR of about 165-170, and see what I could do in terms of endurance and pace at the faster tempo.
So after the warmup first mile, I found that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up 165-170 for the entire six miles. So I quickly decided to go with 8 minutes at the 165-170, followed by 4 minutes of a slow jog where I would try to get my HR down to 150. It didn't take too long to discover that getting down to 150 was going to be difficult, as it would get down to maybe 158 or so, but generally stay at 160 for the 4 minutes. Oh well - 160 it was.
Leg 1 - 16:54 avg HR 154 (2 miles - includes easy warm up mile)
Leg 2 - 4:01 avg HR 160
Leg 3 - 8:00 avg HR 168
Leg 4 - 4:04 avg HR 162
Leg 5 - 8:16 avg HR 169
Leg 6 - 4:00 avg HR 162
Leg 7 - 5:55 avg HR 173
Total Time - 51:30
Total Distance - 6 miles
Avg HR - 163
Avg Pace - 8:35
Well, slap me in the ass and call me Sally!
Would you look at that!
Not only did I reach 9 minute miles, I was darn close to 8:30 minute miles!
I really doubt I'd be able to keep that up for another 7 miles to do that for an entire half marathon, but it is encouraging nonetheless.
I debated whether to go on todays run. My legs and everything felt fine this morning, but as the day wore on, some parts of my left knee seemed a little inflammed still. While I'm a little hypersensitive to knee injuries due to running, I also know that many times, knee pain will go away if treated properly (RICE = Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). However, given all the scheduling factors for the next few days (leaving on Sunday for a week, Monday being long run day, tomorrow being the scheduled rest day), I decided to give it a shot, figuring that I'd more then likely have both tomorrow and Sunday as rest days.
So once I decided to go for it, I thought it would be cool if I were able to run the 6 miles in my secondary goal race pace of 9 minutes/mile. Since yesterday was a slow tempo day, and with two rest days coming up, I figured I'd shoot for an average HR of about 165-170, and see what I could do in terms of endurance and pace at the faster tempo.
So after the warmup first mile, I found that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up 165-170 for the entire six miles. So I quickly decided to go with 8 minutes at the 165-170, followed by 4 minutes of a slow jog where I would try to get my HR down to 150. It didn't take too long to discover that getting down to 150 was going to be difficult, as it would get down to maybe 158 or so, but generally stay at 160 for the 4 minutes. Oh well - 160 it was.
Leg 1 - 16:54 avg HR 154 (2 miles - includes easy warm up mile)
Leg 2 - 4:01 avg HR 160
Leg 3 - 8:00 avg HR 168
Leg 4 - 4:04 avg HR 162
Leg 5 - 8:16 avg HR 169
Leg 6 - 4:00 avg HR 162
Leg 7 - 5:55 avg HR 173
Total Time - 51:30
Total Distance - 6 miles
Avg HR - 163
Avg Pace - 8:35
Well, slap me in the ass and call me Sally!
Would you look at that!
Not only did I reach 9 minute miles, I was darn close to 8:30 minute miles!
I really doubt I'd be able to keep that up for another 7 miles to do that for an entire half marathon, but it is encouraging nonetheless.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
5 Miles - 9/11
Earlier in the day, I was originally thinking that I'd do todays run as a tempo run - aiming for a HR of about 155 or so. The 5 mile distance is a solid run, and the HR of 155 is solidly in the moderate aerobic category for me. However when I thought about the purpose of yesterday's run, to extend my upper limit with speed work, and I thought about the purpose of keeping the HR down (based on the grey-zone info I posted about before), I decided that having an easy day right after a hard speed workout day would probably be best. Tomorrow's run, with a rest day afterwards, can be a tempo run.
As it turned out, it was probably a good thing. I was still slightly stiff from yesterday, and that stiffness didn't go away until about mile 2. But I definately did notice something - I was cruising along pretty good for having an avg HR of around 150, compared to my previous paces @ 150.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 50:37
Avg HR: 148
Average Pace: 9:38
I was concerned that the avg HR would be in the 153 range, because any time there was a slight uphill, I found it climbing to 155 or higher. However, as soon the ground flattened out, the HR came right back down. So I noticed that my recovery time seemed to have gone down quite a bit.
Looking at the numbers, it doesn't look earth shattering - a 9:30 pace at a target HR of 150 or so. But when you compare to the last couple times I ran that loop, it sticks out. The last time I ran it, I had a similar pace (9:28), but the HR was significantly higher - 157. The time before that, I had a faster pace (9:02), but the HR was 160. That run was also the one where I alternated running for 4 minutes and walking for 40 seconds.
So all in all, while the pace may have remained largely the same, the effort my body was expending to maintain that pace had dropped pretty dramatically. Ten to twelve beats per minute doesn't seem like a lot when you are talking about 150 of them, but keep in mind that the difference between very light cardio and intense anaerobic training is only about 35 bpm. So 10-12 bpm is a fairly significant chunk.
As it turned out, it was probably a good thing. I was still slightly stiff from yesterday, and that stiffness didn't go away until about mile 2. But I definately did notice something - I was cruising along pretty good for having an avg HR of around 150, compared to my previous paces @ 150.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 50:37
Avg HR: 148
Average Pace: 9:38
I was concerned that the avg HR would be in the 153 range, because any time there was a slight uphill, I found it climbing to 155 or higher. However, as soon the ground flattened out, the HR came right back down. So I noticed that my recovery time seemed to have gone down quite a bit.
Looking at the numbers, it doesn't look earth shattering - a 9:30 pace at a target HR of 150 or so. But when you compare to the last couple times I ran that loop, it sticks out. The last time I ran it, I had a similar pace (9:28), but the HR was significantly higher - 157. The time before that, I had a faster pace (9:02), but the HR was 160. That run was also the one where I alternated running for 4 minutes and walking for 40 seconds.
So all in all, while the pace may have remained largely the same, the effort my body was expending to maintain that pace had dropped pretty dramatically. Ten to twelve beats per minute doesn't seem like a lot when you are talking about 150 of them, but keep in mind that the difference between very light cardio and intense anaerobic training is only about 35 bpm. So 10-12 bpm is a fairly significant chunk.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
6 x 880 - 9/10
Today's workout was to do 6 x 880's at a 5-10k pace, with a 2 minute break in between. An 880 is 880 yards, or two times around a 1/4 mile track. So whereas the speed workouts the previous two weeks were based on an entire mile, today's goal was to increase intensity a little bit, but for a shorter length of time. The total workout distance of 3 miles was unchanged.
Earlier this week, a friend of mine who is training for a full marathon, and following the Jeff Galloway plan, remarked to me that during his speed workout, he was able to see the thought process behind it. Basically, he found that during the real workout sections of the speed repeats, his HR would get into the interval training zone, but the walk rests that were placed throughout the workout were to get the HR back down to a cool down. This process would then repeat itself however many times the workout called for. The details were slightly different, but that is the quick way to sum it up.
After the 2nd 880, I started finding the same thing. I decided that my target HR during the 880 would be 170, or 85% of my max heartrate. Since I was able to do the mile repeats at 165, I figured I could ramp it up a little further, given that these repeats were half the distance. The first interval I started out too fast (typical) - but I definately found that during the 2 minute rest phase (in which I kept jogging, albeit at a slow pace, as I didn't know whether the rest was to be a walk or not), my HR would come down to the 150-155 range - right about the range for the long run workouts.
Lap 1 - 4:30 Avg HR 143 (warmup 880)
Lap 2 - 3:14 Avg HR 171
Lap 3 - 3:37 Avg HR 170
Lap 4 - 3:47 Avg HR 168
Lap 5 - 3:51 Avg HR 167
Lap 6 - 3:46 Avg HR 166
Lap 7 - 3:39 Avg HR 168
Total Time (excluding warmup and rest): 21:54
Total Distance (excluding warmup and rest): 3 Miles
So I definately tailed off, time wise, a little bit as the workout went on - but I suppose that is to be expected. I found that during the latter repeats, the first 440 was just getting the HR back up to 170, while the second 440 was more sustained at 170. So the average tended to be lower than 170.
Earlier this week, a friend of mine who is training for a full marathon, and following the Jeff Galloway plan, remarked to me that during his speed workout, he was able to see the thought process behind it. Basically, he found that during the real workout sections of the speed repeats, his HR would get into the interval training zone, but the walk rests that were placed throughout the workout were to get the HR back down to a cool down. This process would then repeat itself however many times the workout called for. The details were slightly different, but that is the quick way to sum it up.
After the 2nd 880, I started finding the same thing. I decided that my target HR during the 880 would be 170, or 85% of my max heartrate. Since I was able to do the mile repeats at 165, I figured I could ramp it up a little further, given that these repeats were half the distance. The first interval I started out too fast (typical) - but I definately found that during the 2 minute rest phase (in which I kept jogging, albeit at a slow pace, as I didn't know whether the rest was to be a walk or not), my HR would come down to the 150-155 range - right about the range for the long run workouts.
Lap 1 - 4:30 Avg HR 143 (warmup 880)
Lap 2 - 3:14 Avg HR 171
Lap 3 - 3:37 Avg HR 170
Lap 4 - 3:47 Avg HR 168
Lap 5 - 3:51 Avg HR 167
Lap 6 - 3:46 Avg HR 166
Lap 7 - 3:39 Avg HR 168
Total Time (excluding warmup and rest): 21:54
Total Distance (excluding warmup and rest): 3 Miles
So I definately tailed off, time wise, a little bit as the workout went on - but I suppose that is to be expected. I found that during the latter repeats, the first 440 was just getting the HR back up to 170, while the second 440 was more sustained at 170. So the average tended to be lower than 170.
Heart rate and training zones
This isn't a typical post for this blog, but I wanted a referencable place for me to record down some things RE: heartrate and training zones. Perhaps some others will find it useful as well.
The formula I am currently using is called the Karvonen formula, which is fairly widely accepted, given that each person varies quite a bit and no formula is perfect. I like it better than the traditional formula (220-age) because the traditional one is not realistic, for many reasons. For example, someone my age looking to exercise in the moderate training zone (75%) would be going for a HR of around 141. That is unrealistically low.
So, the Karvonen formula is: ((MHR - RHR) x % intensity) + RHR = Training Zone
Where:
MHR = maximum heart rate (I use 220-age for now)
RHR = resting heart rate
% intensity = desired level of activity (0.6 for 60%, 0.7 for 70%, etc)
The accepted ranges and intensity levels are somewhere near the following:
60% - very light cardio; fewer overall calories, but higher % of fat calories
70% - moderate aerobic
80% - heavy aerobic/interval training
90% - intense (anaerobic); most overall calories, lowest % of fat calories
Although I'm not positive, I believe that the % intensity is not a gauge of fitness level. This confused me for a long time - because many times, it is depicted as such. Beyond that, fitness level is entirely subjective. Rather, % intensity is a gauge of the type of workout you are looking for at the time. Some days, such as long runs, the goal is a lower range; some days, such as when doing speed work, the goal is to extend into the higher range.
So, using the formula above, my numbers turn out to be (32 years old, RHR of 52):
60% - 133
65% - 140
70% - 147
75% - 154
80% - 160
85% - 167
90% - 174
95% - 181
100% - 188
That seems reasonable to me - as I know I can go for long periods of time at a HR of 150 or so, which puts me into the moderate aerobic (definately enough to sweat, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to talk). Also, I know that my endurance plummets when I get into the 170's, which puts me well into the heavy aerobic and even the anaerobic zone.
Also, I recently came across a blog post on triathlontrainingblog.com, where the blogger posted an email exchange between herself and someone who commented on what they were calling 'The Grey Zone'. I normally take 3rd party, unproven data and advice with a heavy grain of salt, but this made a lot of sense, and the person really seemed to know what they were talking about.
In short, the grey zone is too fast for recovery, but too slow for a key run (tempo, interval, etc) - pretty much that 75-80% training zone from above. So if all I did was run at a target HR of 160, I'd be in the grey zone. It's that pace that just feels right because it makes you feel like you worked hard, but not so hard to debilitate you for the rest of the day. The end result is that you do workout after workout, with relatively little performance gain.
That would be why training plans alternate long slow runs with shorter faster runs.
Addendum (9/14): More information on terms, and their explanations.
http://www.heartmonitors.com/exercisetips/heart_rate_basics.htm
Addendum (9/17): (Requires further verification):
60-80% max HR = 1 to 2 min/mile slower than 10k pace
80-90% max HR = 10 to 20 sec/mile slower than 10k pace
95-100% max HR = 3-5K pace
100% max HR = faster then 3-5k pace
Addendum (10/31): Magic Mile Times
10/31/08 - 7:01 Avg HR 179
4/4/09 - 7:25 Avg HR 175
7/3/09 - 7:25 Avg HR 176
The formula I am currently using is called the Karvonen formula, which is fairly widely accepted, given that each person varies quite a bit and no formula is perfect. I like it better than the traditional formula (220-age) because the traditional one is not realistic, for many reasons. For example, someone my age looking to exercise in the moderate training zone (75%) would be going for a HR of around 141. That is unrealistically low.
So, the Karvonen formula is: ((MHR - RHR) x % intensity) + RHR = Training Zone
Where:
MHR = maximum heart rate (I use 220-age for now)
RHR = resting heart rate
% intensity = desired level of activity (0.6 for 60%, 0.7 for 70%, etc)
The accepted ranges and intensity levels are somewhere near the following:
60% - very light cardio; fewer overall calories, but higher % of fat calories
70% - moderate aerobic
80% - heavy aerobic/interval training
90% - intense (anaerobic); most overall calories, lowest % of fat calories
Although I'm not positive, I believe that the % intensity is not a gauge of fitness level. This confused me for a long time - because many times, it is depicted as such. Beyond that, fitness level is entirely subjective. Rather, % intensity is a gauge of the type of workout you are looking for at the time. Some days, such as long runs, the goal is a lower range; some days, such as when doing speed work, the goal is to extend into the higher range.
So, using the formula above, my numbers turn out to be (32 years old, RHR of 52):
60% - 133
65% - 140
70% - 147
75% - 154
80% - 160
85% - 167
90% - 174
95% - 181
100% - 188
That seems reasonable to me - as I know I can go for long periods of time at a HR of 150 or so, which puts me into the moderate aerobic (definately enough to sweat, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to talk). Also, I know that my endurance plummets when I get into the 170's, which puts me well into the heavy aerobic and even the anaerobic zone.
Also, I recently came across a blog post on triathlontrainingblog.com, where the blogger posted an email exchange between herself and someone who commented on what they were calling 'The Grey Zone'. I normally take 3rd party, unproven data and advice with a heavy grain of salt, but this made a lot of sense, and the person really seemed to know what they were talking about.
In short, the grey zone is too fast for recovery, but too slow for a key run (tempo, interval, etc) - pretty much that 75-80% training zone from above. So if all I did was run at a target HR of 160, I'd be in the grey zone. It's that pace that just feels right because it makes you feel like you worked hard, but not so hard to debilitate you for the rest of the day. The end result is that you do workout after workout, with relatively little performance gain.
That would be why training plans alternate long slow runs with shorter faster runs.
Addendum (9/14): More information on terms, and their explanations.
http://www.heartmonitors.com/exercisetips/heart_rate_basics.htm
Addendum (9/17): (Requires further verification):
60-80% max HR = 1 to 2 min/mile slower than 10k pace
80-90% max HR = 10 to 20 sec/mile slower than 10k pace
95-100% max HR = 3-5K pace
100% max HR = faster then 3-5k pace
Addendum (10/31): Magic Mile Times
10/31/08 - 7:01 Avg HR 179
4/4/09 - 7:25 Avg HR 175
7/3/09 - 7:25 Avg HR 176
Monday, September 8, 2008
Long run - 9/8
As I mentioned earlier, this weeks long run was supposed to be 7 miles - but due to not completing the full 9 miles from last week, I made this week the 9 miler.
The nice thing about these long runs is that they are actually easy. They can be a mental challenge if you bore quickly, but for the most part, you just kinda put your body on autopilot and let your mind wander for about an hour and a half.
I've found that the ability to let your brain think of nothing in particular for extended periods of time is a gift - a talent, if you will. Not everyone has it. Laurie gets bored after about 5-10 minutes of an activity, and just doesn't understand what I mean when I tell her that my mind just wanders when doing something monotonous. The closest I can come to describing it is brain oxygen deprivation-caused ADD, where the most mundane things are just interesting enough to take your mind off running.
Not having a previously mapped 9 mile course, I combined two loops I do - one being a 5.25 mile course that is very flat, followed by a 3.4 mile loop that is about as hilly as one can get in this area. Going from the end point of the first loop back to the start point of the 3.4 mile loop made up the remaining .35 miles.
Total distance: 9 miles
Total time: 1:36:39
avg HR: 149
I did notice after about 2 miles that I was able to keep my HR down below 150 much easier than previous long runs, while still being able to keep the 10:30 pace or so. It may have been due to today's conditions being a bit cooler - I started around 6:20 pm or so, and ended around 8 pm. That gave me good daylight (but not direct sunlight, which is hotter) for the first 5 miles or so, but the last few miles it definately got dark, and therefore it was much cooler.
I also started feeling my hip tighten up after about 6 miles or so. It was not bad at all, but it reminded me that I should stretch a little more frequently - so far I've done no stretching at all.
The nice thing about these long runs is that they are actually easy. They can be a mental challenge if you bore quickly, but for the most part, you just kinda put your body on autopilot and let your mind wander for about an hour and a half.
I've found that the ability to let your brain think of nothing in particular for extended periods of time is a gift - a talent, if you will. Not everyone has it. Laurie gets bored after about 5-10 minutes of an activity, and just doesn't understand what I mean when I tell her that my mind just wanders when doing something monotonous. The closest I can come to describing it is brain oxygen deprivation-caused ADD, where the most mundane things are just interesting enough to take your mind off running.
Not having a previously mapped 9 mile course, I combined two loops I do - one being a 5.25 mile course that is very flat, followed by a 3.4 mile loop that is about as hilly as one can get in this area. Going from the end point of the first loop back to the start point of the 3.4 mile loop made up the remaining .35 miles.
Total distance: 9 miles
Total time: 1:36:39
avg HR: 149
I did notice after about 2 miles that I was able to keep my HR down below 150 much easier than previous long runs, while still being able to keep the 10:30 pace or so. It may have been due to today's conditions being a bit cooler - I started around 6:20 pm or so, and ended around 8 pm. That gave me good daylight (but not direct sunlight, which is hotter) for the first 5 miles or so, but the last few miles it definately got dark, and therefore it was much cooler.
I also started feeling my hip tighten up after about 6 miles or so. It was not bad at all, but it reminded me that I should stretch a little more frequently - so far I've done no stretching at all.
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